


A Thedosian God at TheDACon

by enigmalea



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Basically reverse MGiT, Crack Treated Seriously, F/M, I Don't Even Know, I think I made that up, I'm Sorry, Thedosian Boy on Earth, What Have I Done, What Was I Thinking?, Why Did I Write This?, i kind of feel the need to apologize to the fandom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2019-11-14 00:56:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18042401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmalea/pseuds/enigmalea
Summary: A Thedosian Boy on Earth AUAs the Inquisition soldiers close in, Fen'Harel tears down the Veil... and immediately faints. He awakens in a world not his own, with no magic, and worse yet - he's a shemlen! Can he make it back to Thedas in time to save his world from certain destruction from the Evanuris? Or is he trapped in this unfamiliar place for good?The man let out a groan, clutching his stomach where her foot had made contact, and sat up slowly, his hand pressing firmly against his bald head. Aislinn had to admit, not only was his cosplay phenomenal (the wolf pelt and jawbone necklace looked real), but he certainly looked the part: the long, oval-faced shape with its cleft chin, the stormy almond-shaped gray-blue eyes, the long aquiline nose, the high cheekbones, the carefully sloped jawline. She couldn't help but gasp at the sight of him."Holy shit, you're the perfect Solas cosplayer."





	1. Sky May Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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The Inquisition's soldiers were moving in on him. He wasn't sure how they'd found him and why, after Inquisitor Trevelyan had told him he was going to save him from himself, they seemed intent on killing him, but what he was sure of was that time was running out. He clutched the newly created foci in his hand, closed his eyes, and pushed his power through it.

The scream which escaped him echoed throughout Thedas, and as the Veil was torn asunder, Solas blacked out.

 

* * *

 

Aislinn did one final sweep of her hotel room making sure she had everything she needed for the day, or at least the essentials: phone, wallet, back up batteries, chargers, water bottle, snacks, coffee cup, hoodie, a backpack with enough room for con swag, and of course, the most important, her con badge. The thirty-year-old geek extraordinaire had this convention thing down to a science, probably more than she liked to admit. She double checked for her room key in her pocket, stepped out into the hallway intent on enjoying her last day of TheDACon, and immediately tripped over a sleeping, drunken cosplayer in the hallway.

"Fuck!" she exclaimed, catching herself on the wall. She knew she really shouldn't be surprised that she was tripping over a cosplayer and part of her wasn't; part of her was surprised it had taken her three years of attending conventions to have a cosplayer fall asleep in front of the wrong room.

The man let out a groan, clutching his stomach where her foot had made contact, and sat up slowly, his hand pressing firmly against his bald head. Aislinn had to admit, not only was his cosplay phenomenal (the wolf pelt and jawbone necklace looked _real_ ), but he certainly _looked_ the part: the long, oval-shaped face with its cleft chin, the stormy almond-shaped gray-blue eyes, the long aquiline nose, the high cheekbones, the carefully sloped jawline. She couldn't help but gasp at the sight of him.

"Holy shit, you're the perfect Solas cosplayer."

The man narrowed his eyes at her (it was all she could do to keep from shivering because even his expressions reminded her of the game character), reached for the staff at his side, and pushed himself up to standing. "What?" he asked, the lilt of his accent extending his vowels.

Now Aislinn thought maybe she'd bumped her head and was hallucinating. "You… your costume is great. You look like Solas… hell, you even sound like Solas. One problem, though; you might want to go back to wherever you partied last night because you left your prosthetics."

His face was impassive. "Pardon?" he asked. "My what?"

"Your ears," she said, pointing at her own ears, exposed from where her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

The cosplayer raised his hand to his ears, fingers sliding over the rounded lobes as his eyes widened in something approximating horror. "Fenedhis! Ean shemlen!"

"Whoa. Are you fluent in Elvish?" she asked. "Isn't that taking this cosplaying thing a bit far?

"What _are_ you talking about? What is _cosplaying_? Where am I? Why am I human?" he snapped.

"Well… everyone's human," Aislinn began. "You're at TheDACon and you're currently wearing a costume based on the appearance of Solas or Fen'Harel from the video game Dragon Age. Exactly… how hard did you party last night?"

"This isn't a _costume_. I am Solas," the man insisted. "What's a video game?"

"Oh… I see. You're hardcore on the _play_ portion of cosplay-"

"I have to get back," he mumbled to himself, ignoring Aislinn completely. If she wasn't going to answer his questions, she seemed to be of no interest to him. "The Evanuris will rain destruction. I have to stop them."

"That's speculative, isn't it? I mean the fourth game isn't even out yet," Aislinn crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at the man before her. Either he was really screwing with her, he was high as a damn kite, or he was nuts.

"This is _not_ a game," he raged.

"Yep, okay. You're Fen'Harel? Prove it," she challenged. His jaw clenched defiantly as if he wanted to refuse to offer her proof, but after a moment, the complexity of his situation seemed to sink in. _If_ he was telling the truth, he was in the wrong world, in the wrong body, and unsure how to get back. _If_ he was telling the truth, he'd likely lowered the Veil and sunk Thedas into chaos. But he wasn't telling the truth.

"How can I do that?" he asked. "What do you know of me?"

Aislinn frowned deeply. He had a point, didn't he? Anything she would know would be in the Dragon Age canon, accessible to any fan. Anything he said which she didn't know, he could be making up. "Can you cast?" she asked. If not, it didn't prove anything one way or the other. If so…

"Of course," he scoffed.

"Yeah? Because magic isn't real here, so if you manage to cast something, I'll believe you. Otherwise, I'm going to have to contact security, and let them sort it out."

The man opened his hand. Nothing happened. He frowned deeply, shifted on his feet, and gripped his staff harder. The focus at the top began to glow… but still, nothing happened. Solas gave a grunt of frustration and took a step toward the center of the hallway. Aislinn could hear him chanting as his eyes slid closed, and he began to move the staff in a complicated pattern. His eyes snapped open, glowing brilliant white, and suddenly a few inches above his open palm, brilliant orange fire sprang into life, the flames dancing erratically. The spell sputtered to a stop a few seconds later, and the cosplayer slumped forward, leaning against his staff heavily.

"The amount of mana that took… it was so far away… I…" He collapsed in a heap in the hallway, Aislinn far too stunned to attempt to catch him.

"Well… shit." Aislinn moved her stunned eyes from Solas up to the Varric cosplayer who had been standing behind him. The man gave her a look that absolutely said 'nope', turned on his heel, and walked off.

 

* * *

 

As a general rule, Aislinn didn't day drink nor did she pay for anything from the mini bar in a hotel room. However, if she was going to make an exception, she assumed today was as good a day as any. She poured the coffee into her reusable cup and emptied the tiny bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream into it. She gave the mixture a good stir with a spoon and plopped herself onto the desk chair which was turned to face the unconscious figure on the bed.

There was absolutely, positively, no _way_ this was real.

It had taken her nearly half an hour to wrangle the man - Solas - into the room; he was taller than her, and completely dead weight, and she was… not an athlete. A mathlete, definitely, but no amount of finding the integral of a multivariable algebraic equation was going to help her move him. He hadn't moved a muscle or groaned; she only knew he was alive because she checked for a pulse and watched his chest closely for signs of breathing.

She took a drink of the coffee and Bailey's mixture as she watched him.

If she had to guess, he'd expended far too much mana to attempt that spell, and nearly drained himself dry. The problem was, lyrium wasn't a thing, so she had no idea how to help. Of course, magic wasn't supposed to be a thing, either.

So how was he here? And how had he cast a spell? Could it have been special effects? And how in the hell was Thedas _real_? Was it possible _she_ was going insane?

Solas moaned, shifting on the bed. "Fenedhis lasa," he mumbled, slowly sitting up and running his hands over his face. He opened his eyes and peeked out from behind his fingers, frowning when he saw Aislinn and where he was. "I was hoping you were some sort of nightmare - maybe a fever dream or hallucination before I died from tearing down the Veil."

"No… no, I'm relatively sure this is real. I mean, it's possible _you're_ a hallucination and _I'm_ dying, but I don't think so." She sipped her drink. "The booze tastes real enough."

"Then, I have to figure out how to return to Thedas. My actions may have doomed the world if I'm not there to help stop the Evanuris and the Forgotten Ones." He eyed her cup and licked his lips.

"Are you thirsty?" she asked. "Water? Coffee? Liquor?"

"Anything," Solas confirmed. "Do you have any elfroot potion? My head is killing me."

She stood, procuring a cup and getting him some water. She handed it to him before digging in the backpack she had packed for the day. "No elfroot potion. Elfroot isn't a thing here, and neither are potions, really. I have the next best thing, though… naproxen." She handed him two of the pills and settled back down in her chair. "Just swallow those. They should help in 20-30 minutes. Hopefully."

"Hopefully?"

"Well, assuming they work on someone from a potentially alternate universe with potentially different body chemistry," she clarified.

Solas eyed the pills with a bit of trepidation before finally shrugging and going for it. "Why don't you tell me where I am, how you know of me, and what you know? It may help me figure out how I can get back or if I can get back." He frowned a bit, and Aislinn idly wondered how he could be so calm. If _she_ had woken up in Thedas, she likely would not have been so calm.

"First, my name is Aislinn," she began, even though he hadn't asked.

"That's a lovely name. I suppose I don't need to introduce myself," he stated.

"No, not at all Solas. You are currently on Earth on the continent of North America, country of the United States in the District of Columbia. You are a character in a video game called Dragon Age: Inquisition - more on that later - and you've appeared outside of my hotel room, ironically, during TheDACon - that's short for The Dragon Age Convention, and also a play on the name Thedas. Anyway, the convention is a meet-up of fans of the video game franchise," Aislinn paused, sipping her coffee again.

The elf (well, he wasn't an elf anymore, was he? It was odd to think of Solas as a human) in front of her drank some more water, trying to soak in hydration as he soaked in information. "So… this game…"

"Yes, well… that part is going to be a little difficult to explain because there is no Thedas equivalent. But… it's like… experiencing a story visually - like a play perhaps - except you actually interact with the world. You create a character, make choices, fight battles. The first game in the installment took place during the Fifth Blight. Your character became a Grey Warden and the Hero of Ferelden. The second game took place in Kirkwall where you played as Hawke in the events leading up to the Mage-Templar war. The third game you play the Inquisitor. You seal the Breach, kill Corypheus, and stop the Dragon's Breath attack."

"I'm… not sure I understand how all of this works," Solas said softly.

"I thought that might be the case. Would you like me to show you?"

"Yes, please."

 

* * *

 

 

Solas was trying not to panic. He'd been trying not to panic since he'd woken up in the hall and realized he was human. The lack of magic here prickled at his every nerve ending, grinding at his consciousness, and giving him this sense of _wrongness_. He'd had to fight to create that tiny little flame; it had taken him nearly the willpower it had taken to create the Veil and for it to produce such a pitiful, pathetic result was disheartening.

He realized the more Aislinn spoke, he was very lucky to end up here, with her. If what she said was true, people here believed him to be a fictional character, and (he could easily conclude) may have thought him insane. The very fact she was willing to give him a chance to prove himself was somewhat of a miracle.

He watched as she produced a small book-like contraption from the room's safe, opened it, and moved to the bed to sit next to him. She pressed something on it, and it hummed to life, lighting up like lyrium shining in the Deep Roads. An image appeared on the top half and Solas couldn't help but watch in fascination. Bizarrely he could read the text, as she selected the option that said: "continue."

"So… uh… this is a computer - a laptop specifically," she explained. "I'm… in the middle of a playthrough of Inquisition."

A moment later, an image of Skyhold - or very nearly Skyhold - appeared on the screen and Solas couldn't stop himself from gasping. "That's Skyhold."

"Ah… yeah. I was wondering if it was accurate," she said.

"Well, it's a bit smaller in scale. Is the rest of the city outside the wall?" he asked.

"City? Oh no. Skyhold is simply a fortress in the game," she answered.

He hummed a bit in irritation. "Skyhold is a walled city," he countered. "Large enough to house an army.  The castle is simply part of what's there. Is that the Herald's Rest Tavern?" She nodded. "Okay, well, it's not against the wall. It's simply the start of the city line. The city extends for several miles before the wall."

She cleared her throat. "So, the thing about video games is that there are limitations to what they can place in them, and they're largely limited by system restraints and development time." She glanced over at him and took in his frowning face. "Think of it as illusion magic. The effectiveness of the illusion is limited by the mage's talent, and at some point, he has to decide if it's more important for his decoy ogre to sound terrifying or smell bad."

Solas snorted at her explanation; he had a vague understanding of what she was saying, but it simply looked _wrong_ to him. "Okay, I see your point."

"So… this is my current Inquisitor," she said motioning to the woman on the screen.

"But… that's an elf… and a woman," he protested.

"Yes. Part of this experience is roleplaying. You choose your gender and race - Qunari, human, elf, or dwarf - and class - mage, rogue, or warrior - and assume the role of the Inquisitor. They each have different backgrounds and storylines. There's a bit of fantasy fulfillment involved. I could never be an elven mage, for example."

He watched as she began to do something which caused the person on the screen to move. He cleared his throat. "The Inquisitor is human," he informed her.

"Trevelyan?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"How did you…"

"The races come with preassigned last names," she gave a shrug. He watched the character on the screen move up the stairs and into the castle proper.

"Is that… Varric?" he asked, shocked to see such a close likeness to the man who had once considered him a friend. Solas couldn't help but be drawn into a memory of the time he and Varric had conspired to fleece Blackwall over a game of Diamondback, and he smiled to himself.

"Yep, and if I go in here…"

"My frescos," Solas said with surprise. He narrowed his eyes at the rotunda as Aislinn manipulated the camera. "Hmm… not exactly my frescos. There are differences."

"They change subtly depending on choices we make throughout the game. Also, there's you," she added. She had the character approach the image that did certainly look like him, and then, she did something which triggered a dialogue.

_The Temple of Mythal was extraordinary. In all my journeys I never dreamed of finding anything like it._

Solas' eyes widened at the sound of his own voice - or one so close it was nearly indistinguishable - coming from the computer. "That is remarkable."

"Yeah, well, that's all we're watching of that," Aislinn stated, blushing darkly. She closed the laptop and moved away from him quickly, placing it back into the room's safe.

"No, wait. I want to watch more," he protested. In reality, Trevelyan had drunk from the Well of Sorrows, angering Solas, and putting himself at Mythal's mercy - and worse, at the mercy of one of the other Evanuris who may figure out a way to override Mythal's will and make it their own. A reality where that did not occur intrigued him more than he would like to admit.

"Trust me, you really don't," she protested. She took a long drink from her cup and sighed a bit.

He couldn't help but wonder why she had blushed and what she was attempting to hide, now, and he thought briefly that perhaps he should trust her, even though she was asking for just that. "And why not?"

"I'd forgotten where I was in my last playthrough and what I was playing. It's a bit… awkward after that," she said. She was pointedly avoiding his gaze, while he was staring her down, the displeasure at her avoidance was clear on his face. "No, don't give me that look. You can't convince me- goddammit," she mumbled taking another big drink.

"The game allows you to… uh… romance… certain characters. My current playthrough, I chose to romance Solas - er, you. This scene leads into one where you reveal the truth of vallaslin as slave markings, offer to remove it, and then… no matter the player's choice… break up with her. The writers have revealed that you had considered telling her the truth about your identity, but at the last moment decided against it, not wanting to place that burden on her. From there, the romance sort of spins out of control. You refuse to speak with her until after the battle with Corypheus, and then after the battle you… run off and disappear for two years until the Exalted Council. It only gets worse when the Inquisitor manages to catch up to you after foiling the Dragon's Breath plot. Essentially, you tell them that you'll never forget them, but… too bad, so sad, you're going to destroy the world."

Solas felt as if a rug were being pulled out from underneath him, his reality was shifting and sliding as he tried to reconcile what she was telling him with the truth of what had happened. It wasn't so different except, "I can be romanced by an Inquisitor? And you know how it ends? And yet you choose to do it regardless?"

She was flushing again, the pink starting at the apples of her high cheekbones and quickly sliding downward. "You can only be romanced by a female Elvhen Inquisitor. The thing about the Dragon Age franchise is that your choices have an impact on the world and even knowing how it ended, I wanted to see if romancing you had any impact on your decision to take down the Veil. Also… I'm… I'm a sucker for tragedies," she said with a shrug.

He had no idea how to respond to that. Everything she had told him thus far was interesting but almost entirely useless. He had no idea how he'd ended up here or why he was human; most distressingly, he had no idea how to make it back to Thedas.

As if she were reading his mind, she cleared her throat and said, "so… absolutely none of that was useful, was it?"

"Sorry, but… no."

"I have an idea," she suggested.

"Since this is your world, I would gladly take any council you could offer," Solas replied without hesitation.

"Come with me to the convention; I can buy you a one-day pass. If someone came through with you, there is a high possibility they will be there. If someone came through before you or still manages to have a connection to Thedas, they likely work on the development team and _might_ be present at the convention. Either way, since your looks haven't changed that much, I suspect you would be able to recognize them," she said as she stood. "We don't even have to worry about you blending in. People will assume like I did, that you're a cosplayer."

Solas considered her suggestion, let it tumble through his mind, as he tried to come up with an alternative. She was watching him critically, brown eyes almost hidden behind black oval-framed glasses. The time and silence stretched almost painfully, but he could come up with no sensible alternative. "Yes… okay. Let's go to this… _convention_."


	2. Go Bravely On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At TheDACon, Solas sees a familiar face in the crowd.
> 
> * * *
> 
> _It took Aislinn a few panicked minutes before she found Solas hiding in a tucked away alcove along a back passageway, leaning against a wall. "Solas?" she said softly._
> 
> _He seemed to jump at the sound of her voice, looking at her as he glanced away from the ear tip he'd been glaring at. "I'm sorry. In retrospect, perhaps this wasn't… the best idea. I don't believe this has given me a good impression of your world."_
> 
> _Aislinn nodded and sighed softly. "It's not… they don't mean anything by it. These people… this world… there are no elves here; these aren't the humans who oppressed your people," she began softly._
> 
> _"If there had been elves here, can you honestly say it would be different than Thedas?" Solas asked, quirking an eyebrow at her._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update comes with both good news and bad news. The good news is: there was more support for this crackfic than I expected and so I have decided to continue it. The bad news (for my writing, but great news for my bank account): I have started a new job and so for a little bit my updates will slow down. If you are following any of my other Dragon Age fics/series, I haven't abandoned them, I'm working on an update for each to be posted this week.
> 
> My goal will be to update these at least once a month; hopefully more frequently as I settle into my new job.
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are much appreciated!
> 
> * * *
> 
> **follow me for updates:** [ao3 (click subscribe)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmalea/profile) ☆ [tumblr](http://enigmalea.tumblr.com) ☆ [twitter](https://twitter.com/enigmaleaDA)  
>  **prompt me:** [how to](https://enigmalea.tumblr.com/post/185117840754) ☆ [submit](https://enigmalea.tumblr.com/ask) ☆ [read on tumblr](https://enigmalea.tumblr.com/tagged/my-drabbles) ☆ [read on ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19825843)
> 
>  **join me @:** [The Hanged Man Discord](https://discord.gg/U4Y5uCR) for DA fanfic readers, writers, and betas! (Please note the server is NSFW and 18+ only.)

Aislinn wasn't sure how long it took her to convince one highly anxious former-Elvhen-near-god-now-turned-human that it would be impossible for him to take his staff (which she now realized had a very _real_ blade attached to it) into a highly secure convention, but it had seemed to take her _ages_. In the end, she'd only won the argument because she'd pointed out that since magic wasn't real, it was useless as a focus and he couldn't stab anyone without being arrested anyway.

Solas was pacing back and forth in her room, brow furrowed, worry lines showing deep between his eyebrows, still uneasy with the idea of traveling without his staff in an unfamiliar world where he could no longer summon his magic. "And you trust these… security people… to keep you safe?" he asked warily.

Aislinn clenched her jaw and finished off the last bit of her coffee with Bailey's. She didn't answer immediately and instead poured herself another cup of coffee (no alcohol this time). She sighed a bit, deciding honesty was the best policy. "No. My world is pretty unsafe and there's not much you can do about it but attempt to mitigate risk and hope for the best. I can't promise you I can keep you safe. I'm not a mage or a hunter or a warrior. I'm not special or important. I can't give you any answers or lend anything to your quest to return to Thedas… except by taking you to the convention and hoping someone better than me finds you. All of that said if there is one thing I know… it's conventions and while some people can be dicks, it's usually pretty safe."

Solas' worry morphed into a frown as she spoke, though she couldn't quite figure out why. "Then, let us go," he said motioning to the door.

Aislinn nodded, put her backpack on, grabbed her coffee cup, and lead Solas out. "Hmmm… a few other things " she stated as she checked the door to make sure it had locked behind them. "Solas is… er, you are - sorry, that's going to take some getting used to - a very… divisive character. Some people love you; some people hate you."

He walked beside her, hands clasped behind his back, head inclined toward her slightly as she spoke. It was a familiar sight to her, and she found it simply eerie how much the game character embodied the real man standing before her. "People love me?" he asked incredulously.

"You _are_ a romance option," she said with a soft laugh. She hid her awkwardness with a sip of coffee. "Anyway, with you being such a good likeness for… the character… erm… people will probably ask you for pictures."

"Pictures?" Solas asked raising an eyebrow.

Aislinn nodded, reaching out to hit the button to call the elevator. "Yes. It's like a… realistic painting created electronically - usually. So, as a cosplayer, you totally have a right to tell them no but you might have fun with it. Maybe. Probably not."

Solas inhaled deeply, as the elevator doors opened, jumping slightly at the sudden movement. He hesitated to follow her but stepped in after just a few moments. She wondered how he could be so composed even in the face of what had to be an overwhelming experience in a new world. But then, waking up from uthenera must have been much like this for him in many ways; the experience was something he was used to.

"So… you're saying I probably won't like it, but I should try it anyway?" Solas asked with a smirk.

"I'm saying be prepared for people to ask," Aislinn replied, rolling her eyes. The doors closed and they dropped a couple of floors before they stopped and the doors opened to several other Con attendees. Aislinn reached for Solas's elbow and pulled him closer, prompting him to move so more people could load in. She felt like today might be exhausting helping navigate modern social situations.

"Whoa, nice Solas cosplay," one of the men entering said. "Would you mind if I take a photo after we get off the elevator?"

Aislinn looked up at Solas, who was clearly uncomfortable, but unsure of how to answer. "Probably not now," she spoke up. "His prosthetics were destroyed on our trip and he's a bit upset that his costume isn't complete. Maybe later, if we find some that fit?"

"Sure," the man answered with a shrug.

Solas seemed to relax next to her, and she was glad she'd read him right. The elevator stopped on two more floors for attendees, but there was no room left, and that left the full elevator staring awkwardly at the people on the lower floors who were either waiting to check out or to head into the last day of the convention. They finally made it to the lobby, the doors opening to two conflicting flows of people, one leading to the reception desk and one leading into the hallways and around throughout the hotel to the conference center.

"This way," Aislinn said confidently, tugging on the sleeve of Solas' tunic. She led him through the crowd, sticking close to the wall and squeezing through areas she should have been too large to fit through. She kept glancing behind her, making sure Solas was there, and he seemed to be right on her heels.

They finally stepped into a wider area, a conference room on the opposite side of the hotel where Aislinn had checked in a few days before. On Friday, there had been a line, winding through the area, the din of people talking in excited anticipation had filled the air. Now, it was empty. Three people manned the booths. Aislinn avoided the winding, taped-off line and walked straight up to the desk. "I need to get a Sunday Only pass for my friend," she said.

A handful of cash was exchanged for a badge on a lanyard; Aislinn had to stretch to get it over the mage's head, but once she did, she began to usher him out of the room. "This is your entry into the convention, lose it, and security will escort you out."

Solas' wide grey eyes glanced down at the badge, and he turned to look at her over his shoulder; it seemed like he was going to say something, but he stopped himself and paused outside of the doors of the room to let her take the lead.

She smiled at him as she passed, taking a sip of her coffee as she led him through to now familiar hallways to the vendor room. On Saturday, there were people everywhere, making these areas oppressive, but now, she could move with freedom. She was glad Solas hadn't been here for the larger crowd; he already seemed far more overwhelmed than she anticipated from his earlier calm.

The vendor room was emptier than it had been with traffic able to flow freely around the room and some of the vendors were beginning to pack up. This time at conventions was odd; the sense of finality was setting in. Tomorrow most of these people would be returning to their "real" lives and there was always a bit of a downward spiral that followed the excitement of the weekend.

She headed straight for the vendor she'd spotted before, which sold high-quality cosplay wigs, prosthetics, and props. Solas was still quiet next to her, taking in what must have been a mass of confusing circumstances to him: a world full of humans and technology, where science ruled and magic was dead. The comforting lure of the Fade and spirits was nowhere to be found, and he had been thrust so thoroughly into it at a pop culture convention, where reality was already overwhelming for those attending who were used to it. Aislinn wasn't sure how he was still standing.

She slipped into the vendor's booth, heading immediately for the elf ear prosthetics. Solas tensed as his eyes swept over the hanging wall display. She picked up the package with the size and skin tone she thought would be close and glanced at Solas. He was intentionally avoiding looking at the wall, but his eyes seemed to be following the few cosplayers who were still in costume for the last day of the convention - dwelling on those who were dressed as elves.

"So many humans wishing they were elves," he mumbled. His tone was a bit dark.

"Sometimes, you just want to be something different than what you are," she answered softly.

His eyes turned to her, and she had to stop herself from inhaling sharply. The purple near the pupil which had been barely noticeable before seemed to intensify and Aislinn was reminded of his explosive anger in the scene where he'd wanted to kill the mages who had trapped the Spirit of Wisdom. "What gives them the right? After centuries of oppressing my People-"

"Are you guys finding everything okay?" The vendor had finally freed herself from a couple of women placing orders for custom contacts and approached them without either of them noticing.

"Yes!" Aislinn replied trying not to sound as grateful as she was for the interruption. "But I'm looking for ears to complete his Solas cosplay," she added so the woman didn't disappear and leave them alone. The small flash of his anger had left her aware she was out of her depth, and if he did manage to access his magic, she had no hope of controlling him. "I'm thinking…" she held the package out and the woman nodded in agreement.

"This looks right. We can try them on if you'd like," she said with a smile. Solas shifted on his feet uncomfortably and then nodded his assent. The red-haired woman opened the package and handed one of the prosthetic ear tips to Aislinn who reached up and settled it onto Solas' ear. The former elf tensed as she settled the prosthetic, running her finger along the seam. "That looks great," the saleswoman encouraged. "Definitely makes you look more like Solas."

Solas inhaled a bit before snatching the prosthetic from where it had been placed. "Sorry… I… can't." He turned and stepped away from the booth quickly, ear tip still clenched tightly in his fist before Aislinn could react.

"Uhh… we'll take them," she said with a laugh. "It's his first-time cosplaying, so I think he's… nervous." She tried to keep sight of Solas as he pushed his way through the slowly gathering crowd; she tossed the woman some cash and quickly began stalking after the disappearing Thedosian God.

It took Aislinn a few panicked minutes before she found Solas hiding in a tucked away alcove along a back passageway, leaning against a wall. "Solas?" she said softly.

He seemed to jump at the sound of her voice, looking at her as he glanced away from the ear tip he'd been glaring at. "I'm sorry. In retrospect, perhaps this wasn't… the best idea. I don't believe this has given me a good impression of your world."

Aislinn nodded and sighed softly. "It's not… they don't _mean_ anything by it. These people… this world… there are no elves here; these aren't the humans who oppressed your people," she began softly.

"If there had been elves here, can you honestly say it would be different than Thedas?" Solas asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.

She pressed her lips together tightly, not really wanting to answer the question. She took a deep drink of her coffee. "Given how many problems we have with bigotry involving race and religion and gender identity and sexual preferences… no, I can't. If anything, it may have been worse," she admitted. "But those people in there, especially the ones wearing the ears… they wouldn't have been those people. They likely would have been the ones fighting for equal rights for elves and mages and all the peoples of Thedas."

Solas inhaled sharply. "Well, the point is probably moot, now. With the Evanuris running rampant in Thedas, there may not be anyone left to fight _for_."

"Solas," the voice that rounded the corner made Aislinn jump, the hair on her arms standing on end. The woman it belonged to was tall and slim, dressed in a severely cut black pinstripe suit and what Aislinn thought might be _actual_ Louboutin pumps. Her hair was raven black, her cheekbones high and severe, and her _eyes_ … well, she must have been wearing contacts because they were _yellow_.

"Mythal," Solas' voice was breathless, his eyes wide as he pushed himself from the wall eagerly. "Mythal… how are you here?"

"I see you found the girl," Mythal said, barely sparing a glance to Aislinn.

"She found me," he replied. He seemed to rock forward onto the balls of his feet, barely keeping himself from bounding to the woman; suddenly his expression had gone from defeated and angry to eager and (quite possibly) energetic.

"I'm standing _right here_ ," Aislinn interrupted. She wasn't quite as willing as Solas to believe the woman before her was Mythal - the _actual Mythal from Thedas_ \- and not some twisted cosplayer who was getting her kicks by messing with them.

"Quiet, child, the adults are speaking," the woman retorted haughtily, her eyes still not leaving Solas. "Have you seen them? The other Evanuris? Did they cross through with you?"

"I… I don't know," Solas began.

"We need to move quickly. We won't have much time. They'll be weak, but their power should be gathering, and if they manage to obtain their full strength we won't be able to prevent them from returning to Thedas. I have Urthemiel's power for you, my friend. Come," she took a step closer to him, reaching out with her hand and pulling him close.

It almost looked like she was going to kiss him as her lips parted; he leaned forward, his own lips opening in supplication. Aislinn found it hard to breathe as the bright light filled the alcove, the wisp much brighter in real life that it had been shown in the games she was familiar with. Her head was suddenly pounding, her skin tingling with its presence. This was the _real_ Mythal. She was actually transferring power to Solas in front of her. This… all of it… was real.

Solas inhaled sharply, his hand suddenly going to Mythal's forearm as his eyes widened. The wisp stopped between them, hanging in midair. He gripped the woman's arm tightly, before suddenly wrenching away, staggering back slightly as he turned his head from her. "I can't," he panted. "I'm too weak."

The wisp seemed to retract back into Mythal. The woman stepped back, yellow eyes narrowing. "This can't be. You shouldn't be this weak, not even after tearing down your Veil and coming here. What did you _do_?" she asked. Solas' eyes flicked to Aislinn. "What did _you_ do?" she repeated, this time acknowledging Aislinn. She felt a twinge of guilt for having asked Solas to prove his identity, but it faded quickly.

Aislinn squared her shoulders. "Nothing, and you damn well know it. I'm only human… unlike the two of you," she challenged. "Now… what the hell did you mean when you said you wouldn't be able to prevent the Evanuris from returning to Thedas?"

"Just what I said, girl. We are going to trap them here to give us enough time to fortify Thedas' defenses," Mythal replied.

"You can't just leave _Gods_ here to continue gathering power. Once they obtain enough, they will conquer this place; they will _destroy_ this world," Aislinn argued.

"What is it to me?" Mythal asked. "This silly little place full of humans and no magic? What could I possibly want here? What could they? They'll tire of it eventually and return to Thedas and when they do, we shall be prepared."

"You can't do that!"

Mythal rolled her eyes and turned back to Solas. "You must go… go with the girl. I believe they would have arrived here stronger than you. They will be able to sense me, and they will come. Right now, as depleted as you are, you should escape their notice."

Solas looked from Mythal to Aislinn as if he could barely follow what was happening. Mythal's plan seemed to be a mystery to him, and Aislinn was grateful for that. Mythal seemed far too willing to sacrifice Earth for her liking. "But how will you find-"

"As long as you are with the girl, I can find you," Mythal answered. "We can complete the transfer later, but you must go. Elgar'nan is close and getting closer. Go, Fen'Harel, and I will stall them."

He tensed slightly at Mythal using his other name, but he reached for Aislinn's hand and pulled her away, weaving his way through the hallway and back toward the elevator. Aislinn could do nothing but glance over her shoulder as the remarkable woman disappeared into the crowd.


	3. No Time for Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aislinn and Solas take some time to regroup after their run-in with Mythal.
> 
> * * *
> 
> _She couldn't help it. She choked on a bite of curry chicken, the seasoning causing tears to spring to her eyes. She scrambled for her water as she cleared her throat, drinking deeply and shaking her head. "Jesus Christ, no. Alex is like a very annoying younger brother. We met at the company I used to work at while I was in graduate school. There's… no. And anyway, it would be inappropriate; I'm his boss."_
> 
> _"Hmm, that didn't seem to bother you when you were pretending to be the Inquisitor, did it?" he teased._
> 
> _Her mouth dropped open in shock and she playfully kicked at the rung of his chair. "Hey! That's different. For one, my only romance options are people who technically reported to me, and for another, it's a digital world! I had no idea Thedas was real, and even if I did, the game doesn't impact your reality." His lips turned up in a smirk and for half a second Aislinn had an urge to punch him for it. Instead, she smirked back. "Is there any particular reason you're interested in my love life, Solas?"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter came quickly thanks to a few boring days at work this week. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> * * *
> 
> A few minor notes and warnings for this chapter and the work as a whole.  
>  **1.** I retconned Aislinn's eye color from blue to brown. It's a minor change but it might be relevant in the future plot. Chapter 1 has been updated to reflect this change.  
>  **2.** I finally gave in and labeled this with a relationship tag, as this is... probably where the story is going. I didn't intend for it to happen this way; they were just going to be friends, but the more I thought through the situations they were going to go through... well... someone falling for someone only seemed likely. Sorry if you weren't looking for that when you started reading.  
>  **3.** I'm leaving the rating where it is at, but I feel the need to warn you that there will be some violence in future chapters. I'll try to keep the descriptions far from graphic so I can keep the rating down, but I thought I'd give you a heads up.
> 
> * * *
> 
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The door clicked shut with a finality that Aislinn hadn't been expecting; it was as if the sound of the hotel room door sliding into place was the sound of her life changing forever, though she couldn't quite place why. Solas' eyes swept the room and he gathered his staff to him almost protectively. "You should pack your things so that we can move quickly."

"We're not leaving now," Aislinn replied stubbornly. She dropped her backpack on the floor and sat at the small table in the corner of the room before crossing her legs and regarding Solas closely.

"Mythal said-"

"Mythal said you were to come with me so she could find you. She didn't say we were supposed to leave. She also said the other Evanuris would be coming and they would be able to find her… and then she left. It seems to me the best thing we can do is stay here, where we know she isn't, at least overnight," Aislinn interrupted.

Solas' jaw tensed, but he leaned his staff against the wall. She could almost see him fighting the urge to argue with her. "Very well. What is your suggestion, then?"

"I have the room until tomorrow. I'm going to show you the brilliant modern convenience of takeout and courier delivery, then I'll pack, and tomorrow morning we'll check out as I planned. We have all night to figure out our next move," she said.

Solas sighed heavily and sat on the bed. "As you wish."

 

* * *

 

The water was hot and free-flowing, and the experience was absolutely _divine_. Aislinn had used one of her devices to place an order on something called Amazon Prime Now to get him clothing delivered to their hotel and was now waiting on food delivery. Although it seemed like magic to Solas, Aislinn insisted it wasn't.

A bit like the shower really.

He leaned forward forehead against the cold tile providing a stark contrast to the water which was so hot steam was blooming in the bathroom and sighed deeply. He was the kind of deep-down bone weary tired he hadn't felt in years- not since he'd awoken from uthenera. Every muscle ached from his scalp to his toes; even his fingers hurt.

This had never been his plan, but then when had anything he'd carefully orchestrated ever gone to plan?

The Veil should have come down, the Evanuris should have been set free, and in their weakened state he would have killed them with the help of his agents; possibly with the help of the Inquisition. Then, his work finally done, the People restored to their former glory, he would have slept his final sleep, leaving the People to shape a new Elvhenan, to piece together a world where equality reigned, led (hopefully) by Abelas and Mythal's sentinels.

And now, due to Mythal's interference, Thedas had been thrown into chaos without a Veil, Spirits and humans and elves and dwarves and Qunari all intermingling without guidance, with no one to lead them out of the chaos, no voice of reason, and no _crisis_ to keep them occupied while they adjusted to the new state of their world. Trevelyan had been open to the idea - in theory - that Spirits weren't so different than people, but could he lead them in that practice? Or were Spirits being persecuted while Solas hid in another universe? Were Elves being hunted as the perpetrators of this chaos? Were mages?

Thedas was safe from the Evanuris, but it wasn't _safe_ , and that was, once again, his doing. He had to fight the urge to scream and throw things in rage.

At the moment, though, the most pressing concern (and the only thing preventing him from completely losing it) was his own status, trapped in an alternate universe, drained of every drop of magic, and so slowly gathering power he couldn't even sense it. How had Mythal orchestrated this? And why? How had she regained Urthemiel's power when Solas had been in possession of it in Thedas? Clearly, she had claimed a new body across universes, but how had she managed that? And moreover, how could she find Aislinn?

The knock on the bathroom door caused him to jump, heart pounding as he was pulled violently from his thoughts. "Solas? The delivery guy is in the lobby. I'm going to get our food. Do you need anything else?" Aislinn asked softly.

In the short time they'd known one another, she had shown more concern for him than many had bothered to do. Her compassion reminded him of Josephine, the sweet ambassador who was too gentle for the life of a bard, who bent over backward to make sure the members of the Inquisition were comfortable. The brief flash of anger he'd glimpsed with Mythal, however, reminded him of Cassandra; Aislinn held the spirit of a warrior deep within.

"No. I'll be out in a moment," he called after clearing his throat.

It only took him a few minutes to bathe and get dressed. The pajamas she'd provided for him were warm and soft, a dark green and gray plaid, the shirt a matching gray. As he stepped into the room and inhaled the scent of food, his stomach clenched tight and growled. When was the last time he'd eaten?

"What is that? It smells delicious," he commented, crossing to the table where she'd spread out several white containers. He grabbed the chair from the desk and pulled it over to the small table eagerly.

"Chinese," she answered, "which means absolutely nothing to you." She let out a huff of a laugh, shaking her head at herself. The small movement caused her dark brown ringlets to bounce erratically. "China is another country here. The authentic food is not like this, really; this food is highly bastardized through immigration and assimilation and alteration to fit American tastes, but you know, it's good and they deliver."

She maneuvered around the tiny room as she talked and obtained glasses of water for both of them, avoiding the furniture and his long legs with ease. She sat in the chair with her back to the window and unsheathed two slender wooden sticks from a paper wrapper. "The games don't talk much about food in Thedas, so I wasn't sure what you might like." She began gesturing at the containers as she explained. "We've got extra spicy curried chicken - which I got mostly for me, because I like spicy food, but you're welcome to try - beef and broccoli, dragon and phoenix - which is actually shrimp and chicken, we don't have dragons or phoenixes for real - and mixed vegetables on the off chance you were vegetarian. Plus, rice and a couple of egg rolls."

"I'm not," he said, and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Vegetarian, I mean." She shrugged, reaching for a container of rice and using the sticks to deposit some onto the plate. Aislinn helped herself to the curry chicken first, and Solas couldn't help but watch in fascination as she began to eat with the utensils she had.

Thankfully, there were also forks (which he recognized but made out of some material he didn't recognize), and he too helped himself to some rice and beef and broccoli. "This is way too much food," he commented.

"Is it?" she asked with a knowing smirk. "The best part of takeaway is leftovers. We'll have some for later tonight and some for breakfast, too. The key is to always over order."

"Surely this won't still be good in the morning."

"Refrigeration and microwaves. You have much to learn, my friend," she countered with a light laugh.

 

* * *

 

A benevolent transformation seemed to come over Solas with the help of a shower and food… or maybe with the earlier miraculous appearance of Mythal, Aislinn wasn't sure. Either way, the tension he'd been carrying had waned, and they ate in silence until he'd asked to be shown how to use chopsticks. She'd expected him to catch on quickly with his dexterity as a painter, but even now he was struggling with a piece of chicken, his face scrunched up in concentration.

"You seem to have me at a disadvantage, Aislinn," he said. She nearly interrupted to tell him he'd get used to using chopsticks eventually, but he plowed through. "You know everything about me, whereas I know nothing of you."

"I wouldn't say I know everything about you; there's a lot the game leaves out. I know nothing of your family, your childhood… your favorite color. Even the details of your life among the Evanuris aren't shared," she shrugged a bit and helped herself to some mixed vegetables as Solas managed to finally corral the elusive piece of chicken. His look of triumph was worth watching him struggle, especially when he managed to successfully pick up another piece immediately after the first. "What would you like to know?"

"What is your trade?" he asked, and Aislinn felt herself let out a sigh of relief; talking about the potential destruction of Thedas or Earth (or both) over Chinese was too dark for her to handle.

"I own a bookstore," she replied. "It's not as impressive as it sounds. My father was in real estate after he retired from the military. He owned the building; my mother owned the bookstore in the building. My reward for finishing my degree was the building and the business. My apartment is in the building above the store, and I have a tenant on the floor above me."

"Do you do these conventions often?"

"Maybe a couple a year," she said with a shrug. "I only have one other employee and he gets testy when I leave him alone in the store with _responsibility_ for too long."

"Perhaps it's time for a new employee," Solas suggested.

"Alex is fantastic. He's dependable and intelligent and charming. He just… doesn't believe he's fit to make decisions and would rather have someone else take the lead. He's definitely not a bad employee, and I couldn't imagine trying to replace him," she argued shaking her head at the suggestion.

Solas raised an eyebrow at her as he attacked a shrimp. He seemed to chew thoughtfully before he said, "did I detect… are you two… is there… an interest… between the two of you?"

She couldn't help it. She choked on a bite of curry chicken, the seasoning causing tears to spring to her eyes. She scrambled for her water as she cleared her throat, drinking deeply and shaking her head. "Jesus Christ, no. Alex is like a very annoying younger brother. We met at the company I used to work at while I was in graduate school. There's… no. And anyway, it would be inappropriate; I'm his boss."

"Hmm, that didn't seem to bother you when you were pretending to be the Inquisitor, did it?" he teased.

Her mouth dropped open in shock and she playfully kicked at the rung of his chair. "Hey! That's different. For one, my _only_ romance options are people who technically reported to me, and for another, it's a digital world! I had no idea Thedas was real, and even if I did, the game doesn't impact your reality." His lips turned up in a smirk and for half a second Aislinn had an urge to punch him for it. Instead, she smirked back. "Is there any particular reason you're interested in my love life, Solas?"

He froze across from her, chopsticks poised above his plate and shaking almost imperceptibly. He cleared his throat, suddenly serious. "Of course not. I simply made an observation."

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow to make an observation, to feel a bit smug at his reaction. She quickly chastised herself; Solas was far from home (farther than he'd ever been) and they were both in danger, and if her kindness had caused him to have misplaced attraction, she shouldn't take advantage of that. She cleared her throat, suddenly aware she was blushing. "So… I live about five hours away from DC."

"That's not that far-"

She laughed. "Oh, that's not on horseback. It's… roughly… 350 to 400 miles away. Something like that. And we'll want to time leaving so that we miss rush hour traffic."

The former elf shifted awkwardly, averting his stormy eyes from her. It suddenly hit Aislinn that Solas was not used to _not knowing_. He was used to leading or at least being useful to those who lead, and now, here, he was relying entirely on her- her knowledge, her expertise, her leadership. It made him uncomfortable. "Whatever you think is best."

She didn't reply. The silence stretched out between them and Aislinn realized they both seemed to be done with the food. She busied herself with cleaning up and placing everything in the mini fridge. "I… I guess we need to figure out how you and the others are here and how we can get you back," she said, reaching around him to grab a container of rice.

"Mythal seems to be the answer to both of those questions," Solas replied, "though I'm not sure how she accomplished it."

"I have thoughts - theories, really - but nothing concrete, and I don't know how the magic would work," Aislinn answered. He turned to her, holding out a couple of containers for her to take.

"Please, share."

"The scene where Mythal dies - where you meet her in front of the Eluvian and she gives you Urthemiel's power - before you arrived, Mythal activated that Eluvian and sent some other wisp through. Maybe… that was Mythal, and she came here rather than taking over Morrigan's body," she said with a shrug. "I mean, is it possible for the majority of her power to leave a vessel and yet, some residual power to have sustained her long enough for the power transfer?"

"I suppose so, but she would have needed a body here, one she knew would be able to house her soul and be a willing transport. She would be unable to inhabit an unwilling body," Solas stated.

"That is the problem with my theory," Aislinn conceded. "Could she have had another daughter in Thedas? An older daughter? Who came here after she took her body?"

"I doubt that after leaving Flemeth as her vessel Mythal would have had enough power left to bring a human body here. I don't think there would have been enough power in Thedas with the Veil up to allow that," he answered with a frown. "No, she would have had to have possessed the body in her wisp form here on Earth. You claim there isn't magic here, but obviously, there is _some_. Otherwise, the transfer of Urthemiel's power she attempted wouldn't have been possible."

"Or Mythal's connection to the Fade in Thedas remains stronger than your own." Solas frowned at that suggestion but didn't dispute it; it did seem unlikely, however. Everything she'd ever witnessed in the game suggested Solas' intuitive grasp of the realm of Spirits and the source of a mage’s power was unparalleled even among his peers in the Evanuris.

Now that dinner was put away, she grabbed her own pajamas and disappeared into the bathroom to change. "What about you?" she called through the door. "Is this body your actual body? Or did you leave a body behind in Thedas? Did you happen to jump into a body that matched yours exactly here?"

"No, I'm positive this is my own body," Solas called. "I was brought here physically when I tore down the Veil. The act of shattering it would have produced more than enough energy to temporarily rend the boundaries between realities." Aislinn stepped out, dressed in a pair of short cotton shorts and a t-shirt. Solas paused a moment and licked his lips before continuing. "My scars are still present in the exact locations they should be; my armor is exact as is my staff. There is no way my body could have been so exactly duplicated."

"The armor and staff could have," Aislinn argued, "and maybe the scars are a coincidence."

"Highly unlikely."

"True," she sighed. "So… it seems to reason, Mythal somehow planned for you and the other Evanuris to physically cross over to Earth when the Veil came down while she herself was already here."

"That does seem likely," he answered as Aislinn climbed onto the bed and crossed her legs. "She had millennia to prepare a spell. It would have been possible for her to prepare an artifact to activate under very specific conditions. Having known what the world was like without the Veil, those conditions could have only been met upon the Veil's fall. The power surge would have then activated the artifact and transported us here. She could have used her connection to Urthemiel's power and the fact it was with me to help with that."

"Does any of that explain her connection to _me_?" Aislinn asked.

"Not at all. I was hoping you could do that," Solas replied. He shifted in the chair so that he could see her more easily.

Aislinn sighed softly and shrugged. She was suddenly distracted by the realization there was a single bed in this room, and they were going to need to sleep soon. "I have no clue; as I mentioned before, I'm just an average woman from Earth."

"Are you sure about that?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Sure? I'm from Earth? Of course," she answered with a laugh. "I was born here."

"Were your parents?"

"Of cour-" Aislinn stopped, eyes suddenly going wide as Solas quirked an eyebrow at her. "Well… I am adopted."

"Interesting. And you didn't think that _perhaps_ that meant you weren't from Earth?" Solas replied.

"What? No. Adopted does not automatically lead me to consider I'm potentially from an alternate reality, Solas! Why would it?" Aislinn found her voice raising in octaves as she spoke, panic slowly sinking in. "Why would that have ever been a thought that occurred to me?" She shoved a hand through her hair and adjusted her glasses, nervous habits she didn’t normally indulge in. "I mean, even now, just because I'm adopted doesn't mean I'm from Thedas. My birth parents could easily be average people who didn't want kids or couldn't support them or… or they could be drug addicts… or teenagers… or… or any number of things."

"Or… you could be from Thedas," Solas countered calmly.

"Don't be ridiculous!" she stood in a huff, pulling the sheets down with such force she nearly threw the pillows in the floor. "I think it's time to try to sleep. I've had enough speculation."

Solas cleared his throat. "Right, well… I'll just need a pillow…"

"Why?"

"For the floor, of course."

"You're not sleeping on the floor," she huffed. "I'm an adult. You're an adult. This is a bed, not a shower."

Solas sighed softly but seemed to sense that arguing with her wouldn't help, so he stood and moved to the other side of the bed as Aislinn arranged the pillows and slid under the covers on her side. He wordlessly climbed into the bed next to her, and Aislinn turned out the light after depositing her glasses on the nightstand. Time stretched forward impossibly slowly in the dark and Aislinn rolled over onto her side carefully hoping not to disturb Solas next to her. More time passed, though she wasn't sure how much before the man beside her let out a soft sigh.

"I can't sleep," he said softly.

"Me either," she whispered just as softly. She rolled back over on her other side so that she was facing Solas. She could just barely make out his outline in the darkness. After a moment, he rolled over to face her, the movement putting them closer than she expected; it felt strangely intimate.

"Shem vision is terrible in the dark," he complained. "I can barely make out the shape of your body, much less your features."

In spite of herself, she grinned a bit, even though he couldn't see it. "I wondered when the complaints about being a shemlen would start," she teased.

She was pretty sure he rolled his eyes as he shifted slightly and tried to get comfortable under the covers. "If… if there's no Fade here… what happens when you sleep?"

"We dream, just like in Thedas," she explained, "except _how_ we dream is different. It's chemical reactions in the brain which produce vivid images. It's the brain's way of processing information, coping with emotions or situations we couldn't cope with otherwise. The brain and body rejuvenate themselves. No spirit leaving the body or anything like that."

"Can you control your dreams?" he asked.

"Some people can. Some people can always control them; some people can only do it occasionally. We call it lucid dreaming." She shoved a strand of hair out of her face stubbornly and tucked it behind her ear. "I don't always remember my dreams, but when I do, it’s usually because they're lucid and I've controlled them." The silence stretched out, and Solas sighed softly next to her. "Solas, are… are you _afraid_ to sleep?" she asked.

"Of course not!" he protested emphatically. "I'm simply not tired, and I can't get comfortable."

"Says the man who perfected sleeping in _ruins_ ," she countered. "It's fine. I can't sleep, either." She sat up, turning the lamp on low before slipping out of bed. "Would you like something to read?"

Solas sat up, adjusting his pillows. "Yes, I think so."

Aislinn opened her suitcase and produced two paperback novels, tossing one to Solas. "I finished that one yesterday. Hopefully, you like it."

"What is it?"

"Fiction," she answered somewhat sarcastically. "It's a classic here; basically the first murder mysteries. The author spawned an entire genre and one of the most recognized characters in literature; I think you'll rather like the main character, actually." She slipped back under the covers with a science fiction novel in her hand as Solas thumbed the edge of _The Complete Sherlock Holmes Collection._

"Ma serranas," Solas said almost absently. "I mean, thank you."

"Sathem," she replied. Solas quirked an eyebrow at her. "I don't know much Elvhen, but I know some. Shut up and read."

As they both opened their paperbacks to the first pages, neither of them could stop the corners of their lips from tugging up slightly in the smallest of smiles.


	4. But Dream No More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Solas and Aislinn finally leave DC and TheDACon, and Solas discovers the Internet.
> 
> * * *
> 
> _"We'll get you back as soon as we can," Aislinn interrupted. Solas nodded. "What… what is he like… the Inquisitor?"_
> 
> _"Ambrose Trevelyan is…"_
> 
> _"Ambrose?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "The game has a default name of Maxwell."_
> 
> _Solas laughed. "I'm sure there's a Lord Maxwell Trevelyan somewhere in the line, but if so, he isn't Inquisitor. Ambrose, though, is one of the finest men I've ever met. He's dependable, even-tempered, open-minded, and diplomatic. He's shrewd and strategic, but also compassionate. He's charismatic; people either wanted to bed him or be him. He was precisely what Thedas needed."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to stop apologizing for the length of time between updates. Unfortunately, this is just my life now. I hope you guys will stick with me and continue reading, though! I'm enjoying writing this and plan on continuing to do so. :)
> 
> I did go back and add some chapter titles. They're all lyrics from songs, and may or may not give hints about Aislinn's origins if you can piece it together. 😉
> 
> * * *
> 
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> 
>  **join me @:** [The Hanged Man Discord](https://discord.gg/U4Y5uCR) for DA fanfic readers, writers, and betas! (Please note the server is NSFW and 18+ only.)

Solas awoke with a start, heart pounding in his chest, desperately grasping at the last few strands of his dreams (nightmares?) which were fleeting and effervescent, rapidly retreating from his memory at a speed he found disorienting. He stared at the textured white ceiling of the hotel room and tried to breathe calmly, to force himself to focus on his goal of returning to Thedas, to think about the fact he was about to embark on an adventure with Aislinn into an unknown world - usually something like that would be exciting for him, a new place to learn and discover.

But this was simply too alien. No magic, no knowledge, and now, no dreams in which to find solace; it was crushing. He had secretly hoped his connection to Thedas would still allow him to move into the Fade to dream, but if it had, his altered body was behaving exactly as Aislinn warned him it would, and he had no memory of what had happened there. He pushed his palms into his closed eyes as the tears began to squeeze from them and roll down his cheeks.

After everything he'd been through, after slavery and wars and death and destruction, after betraying and being betrayed, it was all simply too much; he'd lost too much. The tightness in his chest was oppressive. He desperately tried to control his breathing, to focus on the smell of coffee which permeated the small room, on the sound of Aislinn in the shower happily humming away to herself, but her happiness only seemed to deepen his own sadness. He'd come crashing into her life with all the grace of a newborn halla and swept her up into something potentially life-threatening… potentially world-threatening.

There was only so much someone could take, and finally, after millennia of loss and failure, Solas had found his true breaking point. He could no longer scrabble together scraps of plans and assemble bits of hope to keep himself going. The Veil was down in Thedas, the Evanuris threatened a new world, and he was powerless to stop them. He had effectively destroyed not one, but two worlds, and in the process lost everything which mattered to him.

The tears had escalated to silent sobs and soft gasps; the walls of the hotel room were thin, and he was thankful Aislinn was showering to cover it. He couldn't imagine showing her his despair. She seemed so positive, so intent on helping him, that he couldn't bear to show her how little he thought they'd succeed. She hadn't yet given up hope for her own world; the least he could do was let her keep her hope. He forced himself to breathe in slowly, count to three, and exhale slowly. It took a few attempts, but finally, the sobs stopped, though he couldn't seem to stop crying entirely. It took effort for him to sit up, and he took in his appearance in the mirror of the dresser, shocked to once again see himself with entirely human ears.

In the next room, he heard the water stop and he hastily wiped his tears, banishing evidence of his temporary weakness as easily as he used to banish a foe's barrier. By the time Aislinn emerged a few minutes later, his face was relatively back to normal, though his eyes were a little red-rimmed. It didn't seem to matter, though, because she took one look at him, tilted her head and said, "Morning, Solas. Is… is everything okay?"

"Yes," he replied hastily, aware that his voice was scratchy from crying. She raised an eyebrow at him but didn't press for answers as she moved to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup. "And… good morning."

"Do you want some coffee?" she asked.

"I don't really-" he stopped mid-sentence. He'd always despised caffeine because it helped to keep him awake and out of the Fade. He wasn't a fan of the taste of tea, but he'd admittedly never given coffee a chance. What did it matter here, if he couldn't enter the Fade at will anyway? Still, if there was some chance, he was drawing some power from Thedas he didn't want to tempt fate and potentially cut off his ties. "No, not now. Maybe I'll try some soon, though."

Aislinn's eyebrow arched over her light brown eyes again, but she didn't speak aloud the thought which triggered the expression. She shrugged and took a sip of the coffee. "I don't want to rush you, but we should get moving soon. You should get dressed while I heat up the leftovers."

Solas had to clear his throat to speak again, and he did so as he crawled out of the bed. "Right, of course," he answered. He grabbed the box of clothing she'd ordered the day before and passed by her as she began to heat up the food.

The hand on his forearm made him pause, and he turned to look at her as she said softly, "hey, Solas, you… uh… you know it's okay if you aren't okay, right?" She dropped her hand from his arm and tried to tuck some hair behind her ear, but she'd already gathered it up in a poufy ponytail. She glanced away awkwardly, trying to hide the gesture by rubbing at the side of her neck. "I mean… with everything you've been through… you just woke up in a new world, yeah? I know I wouldn't be okay if I actually woke up in Thedas."

"I'm fine," he assured her, although he suspected they both knew he wasn't. He simply didn't want her to worry about him. "I'm not saying that to simply offer platitudes."

She narrowed her eyes at him critically. "Sure. It's just… you don't _seem_ okay, and I need you to realize that's _fine_. It's to be expected."

"I don't _seem_ -"

"Did you sleep well?" she interrupted.

Solas' mouth ran dry, and he struggled to find words to answer her question. "Yes," he settled.

"Yes?" she asked. She paused and took a sip of her coffee, giving him time to elaborate. He didn't, so she pressed on. "And did you enter the Fade?"

"I… well…"

"That's what I thought," Aislinn whispered. She watched him closely, her eyes brown eyes felt as if they were boring into his soul. Solas struggled to find words to argue against her implications but he couldn't put them together. She reached out and took the box from him, setting it behind her on the dresser, and without warning wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

Something akin to panic filled him with her simple embrace as if the affection might genuinely cause him to break. He stiffened in her arms, even as he berated himself for it. It was a _hug_ , nothing to be afraid of or worried about. It took a moment for him to will his body into action, to force his arms around her to pull her closer, but when he did, something seemed to snap in him, and the tears threatened to begin spilling again as he collapsed into her. He rested his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes to breathe deep, unintentionally inhaling the fresh scent of cocoa and shea butter which sat on her skin.

He swallowed hard, trying to remember how long it had been since he had simply been held by someone else; suddenly, it hit him that it had been Trevelyan, upon his return after Wisdom's loss, and for some reason that made this all the more difficult. He gave her a squeeze and took a deep breath, forcing himself to say, "I'm okay, Aislinn; I swear."

His throat seemed too tight for him to breathe, and he realized his voice sounded strained, even to him. Aislinn, however, nodded. "Good. Because now we _really_ need to get moving," she said with a huff. "We'll get you back, Solas. We'll fix this… I promise."  
  


* * *

 

For all the whirlwind activity of the morning, the rushing to pack and check out and get in the car, the hours in the vehicle were stretching impossibly long. Once he got over the shock of the initial _speed_ of the transportation, Solas found it almost relaxing – if he didn't dwell too deeply on the fact he could potentially _die_ if Aislinn managed to lose control and crash. It was difficult to comprehend how large the city actually was and the number of people present, even as he witnessed it for his own eyes; it was equally difficult to comprehend exactly how far they'd traveled in such little time, even now as the fields and trees flew by at mesmerizing speeds.

Once they had gotten on the road, Aislinn had apologized profusely for her choice in music and then introduced Solas to her driving playlist. At first, he could hear nothing but chaotic driving rhythms that must be impossible to dance to, but he quickly realized that wasn't really the point of the music. The variety in her tastes was wide, though, and he found it odd the woman could go from singing a love ballad to screaming in rage nearly instantly; in truth, he found it immensely amusing and wished he could join in.

He watched her out of the corner of his eye taking in the look of pure joy and relaxation on her face. She seemed to sense him watching her as she glanced at him, and said above the music, "what?"

"Nothing," he replied as the song faded out and was replaced by a driving rhythmic drum.

"Something," she countered as the bagpipes joined the drum. "I caught that look you were giving me."

"You seem to really enjoy-" Solas began. He broke off as the crisp feminine voice sang clearly, ' _Shadows fall, and hope has fled_.'

"Oh shit!" Aislinn exclaimed as she reached to turn off the music. "Sorry. I'm so sorry. I forgot I even had that song."

Solas averted his eyes from her face, turning his attention back to the countryside. It was odd how that song could evoke in him a flood of emotion, even without sounding precisely the same as the actual experience. "It's quite alright," he forced himself to say. "That was nothing like standing in the Frostbacks after having nearly died and watching a legend and hero being born. Nothing can quite capture being there, I don't think."

"But still, the last thing you need is a reminder of home, now," Aislinn said softly.

"Perhaps it's exactly what I need," Solas countered, "to remember exactly the things about Thedas which are worth saving. Even without the Evanuris running rampant there, the chaos of the Veil coming down may destroy civilization as they know it. I should-"

"We'll get you back as soon as we can," Aislinn interrupted. Solas nodded. "What… what is he like… the Inquisitor?"

"Ambrose Trevelyan is…"

"Ambrose?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "The game has a default name of Maxwell."

Solas laughed. "I'm sure there's a Lord Maxwell Trevelyan somewhere in the line, but if so, he isn't Inquisitor. Ambrose, though, is one of the finest men I've ever met. He's dependable, even-tempered, open-minded, and diplomatic. He's shrewd and strategic, but also compassionate. He's charismatic; people either wanted to bed him or _be_ him. He was precisely what Thedas needed."

"Hmmm," Aislinn hummed. "And which was it for you?"

"Pardon?"

"Did you want to bed him or be him?" she asked, her lips twisting into a smirk.

He coughed awkwardly and shifted a bit in his seat. "The Inquisitor was a _friend_ ," he replied.

"That was high praise coming from you, Solas. And really, you could have just denied it by saying you wanted to _be_ him," she teased.

He felt a blush starting in his cheeks and traveling up to the tips of his ears and down into his neck simultaneously. How had she managed to back him into a corner so easily? Should he continue to deny it… or… "Ancient elves were not so… hung up on gender. Sure, people had preferences but…" He let his statement trail off and cleared his throat. "Regardless, it would have been inappropriate, and Ambrose, I believe, _did_ have a preference-"

"Solas?" she asked quietly.

"Yes?"

"Take a deep breath; I was _teasing_ ," she answered.

"Ah." The silence fell between them and Aislinn reached for the radio knob. His hand darted out to stop her hand without thinking and he froze at the feeling of her soft skin under his fingertips. His blush, which had just begun to fade, darkened again. "Tell me about your world," he requested, pulling his hand back a bit too quickly. He hoped she hadn't noticed his reaction, but as well as she seemed to be able to read him, he was almost sure she would have.

"That… is a massive undertaking," Aislinn replied scrunching up her nose. "I don't even know where to start. What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Solas replied with a shrug, knowing that likely wasn't useful. "You said there's no magic here. Start with that."

"I mean, I don't know how to explain that to you, and I'm not even sure if that's technically true, give that you were able to cast a spell," she said with a shrug. "But… if there is magic, we're not able to access it. There doesn't seem to be a source of infinite energy here like the Fade is in Thedas. There are things we can't explain- like what really causes something to be alive… or sentient- and I think maybe that's where our magic is, but it's… weak. No one can do the things a mage in Thedas can do. So, we've adapted with science and technology. A lot of it was developed for fighting wars, but some of it simply in the pursuit of solving problems."

"And what are the people like?" Solas asked.

Aislinn inhaled sharply. "Solas, there are roughly 7.5 billion people on this planet, I cannot even begin to summarize what we're like. It's like trying to generalize what the Dalish are like but on a much grander scale."

"I'm sorry, there are _how many_ people?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Roughly 7.5 billion, I think. We have an incredible urge to procreate," she teased. "Also, our life expectancy is increasing; obviously, we're not immortal like Ancient elves, but the average human life expectancy is between 70 and 80 years. Obviously, it's lower in countries with worse health care. That's including infant mortality rates, by the way."

Solas found the sheer numbers to be absolutely unfathomable, and he almost didn't believe her. Either the planet was very large, or they were approaching an overpopulation issue… or both. The only other explanation was that Aislinn was wrong, but she seemed so sure. Which was something else impressive, if he were honest. Aislinn was… intelligent and beautiful… and incredibly kind. He glanced out of the window, watching the landscape slide by, broken up only by the occasional sign or another vehicle.

"You seem to be a repository of knowledge," he commented idly, and she laughed.

"Me? You seem to have the entire history of Thedas stored in your head because you saw it all in the Fade," she argued. "I think the closest thing to the Fade here is the Internet."

"The Internet?"

"Yeah… it's… imagine a library that houses the world's history and pop culture. If it exists, you can read about it or experience it on the Internet. It's what I used to order your clothes and our food. Books, TV, music, video games, photographs, they're all there and all available at your fingertips," she explained. "There are some issues with access - not every area has the technology and it can be expensive - but if you have it, it's amazing. You're going to _love_ it."

"Will you show me?" he asked.

"Of course. I can start as soon as we stop for lunch."  
  


* * *

 

Three hours of afternoon travel flew by with the blink of an eye Solas found, once they had eaten lunch and Aislinn had shown him the basics of using her phone to access the Internet. He found the process intuitive and fascinating, and he'd wiled away the time jumping from one topic to another as he asked Aislinn seemingly unconnected questions any time he'd come across something he didn't understand. She'd accused him of having "fallen down the rabbit hole" and he'd instantly Googled that to figure out the meaning. That had resulted in him starting a reading list with something called _Alice in Wonderland_ at the top, as soon as he finished the Sherlock Holmes collection Aislinn had given him the previous night.

Googling was quickly becoming his new favorite thing… or maybe just the internet, in general.  He wasn't sure. What he was sure of was that having all of this knowledge at his fingertips was a heady almost orgasmic feeling he hadn't felt since the first day he'd walked into Vir Dirthara. Aislinn seemed amused at his enthusiasm even as she warned him to be a careful consumer of news and information. "Not everything on the internet is true," she cautioned like everything which had been printed in Thedas was true and he'd never had to wade through Chantry bias or anti-Elvhen propaganda.

He'd been so caught up in his pursuit of knowledge he'd nearly missed it when Aislinn had said softly, "Solas, put the phone down, we're almost home."

He glanced up just in time to see a sign declaring the name of the city _Eastbourne_ as she'd merged onto the off-ramp. A short ten minutes later, she was taking the downtown exit and they were pulling in front of a storefront which proudly displayed _Thistle Dew Booksellers_. He could stop himself from snorting lightly at the pun as he took in his surroundings.

Downtown Eastbourne reminded him much more of the type of city he'd have seen in Ferelden compared to the massively bustling capital they'd just left; the streets were narrow - just large enough for two carriages to pass - and brick paved, and the buildings were mostly low, rather than towering monstrosities like they'd just left. A few larger, more modern buildings dotted the skyline here or there, but overall, he could see the gently sloping sides of the ancient mountains surrounding the valley city easily in the distance. The overall feeling was that the city was _old_ , but well cared for, and Solas found that comforting.

Aislinn carefully threw open the door to the car once there was a break in traffic and made a run for the sidewalk just as the door to the shop was thrown open. The man who swept Aislinn into a hug and spun her around was broad and tall and chiseled and handsome, and Solas had to stop himself from frowning at the realization that _this_ was Alex. He slid out of the car and shut the door, leaning against it as he listened to their conversation.

"Booooooss," Alex exclaimed as he set her on the sidewalk, his smile reaching his brown eyes. "I missed you. Did you have fun? I've been stalking your Instagram, it looked like you had fun."

"I did," Aislinn replied, her own smile just as broad as she looked up at the man. "I got so much swag. Soooo much."

"What'd you bring me?"

"What makes you think you _deserve_ anything?" she teased, crossing her arms over her chest. "Let me see what the store looks like and how much you've _avoided_ working before you start making demands for presents."

"Oh, come _on_ , Ash, you know I take good care of your baby while you're gone. I even rotated out the front window display for the new releases next week _already_ ," Alex replied.

"Jesus, how bored were you?" she asked.

" _Bored_ ," he admitted. "Last Thursday was rough. I saw one person all day, but we were busy on Saturday. More than made up for it. Need my help with your-" Solas could almost feel the man's eyes flit to him as he stopped speaking mid-sentence, leaving his offer of help wide open. The broad smile faded, and his eyes narrowed suspiciously. The hair on the back of Solas' neck rose as he felt the challenge coming and he stood up straighter. "Oh hi. Sorry, I didn't see you there, man. I'm Aleksander; you can call me Alex. I'm Aislinn's best friend… and employee… and you are?" The man crossed to him, hand extended.

Solas hesitated for just a moment before taking his hand, shaking it firmly. "Solas," he answered simply. The less he could get away with saying, the better it was for everyone, but Alex did seem content with that.

"Just Solas? Nice… simple. Where you from Solas?" He held onto the handshake just a fraction too long, his eyes hardening before he let go of Solas' hand. There it was… the challenge. Clearly, Solas had been right in assuming there was something more between Aislinn and her friend, even if she wasn't aware of it, and the man saw him as a threat. Absolutely ridiculous… and now he'd have to put up with his posturing when he wasn't the least bit interested.

"Wales," Aislinn said, rescuing him, "at least originally. He's been in DC for a while now."

"A while?"

"Around a decade," Solas answered, his eyes leaving Alex's to silently communicate the thank you for the save.

"Uh-huh, and what do you do?" Alex asked. "And more importantly why are you here? Where are you staying? What exactly are you hoping to get from Aislinn?"

"Alex!" Aislinn protested, "what the hell is wrong with you?"

Solas found himself flushing at the onslaught of questions he couldn't answer, and he was grateful for Aislinn's interruption. Alex turned his attention from Solas back to Aislinn as he mumbled, "just… excuse us for a moment." Alex crossed back to Aislinn, who was at least half a foot shorter than him and glaring up at him with the intensity of a warrior going in for the kill. Solas could only think one thing, " _oh, shit._ " He briefly saw the same thought cross through Alex's mind as he began to whisper heatedly, "seriously, Aislinn? You went to a convention _single_ and came back with a strange man in tow who is presumably going to live with you, and I'm just supposed to be _okay_ with this?"

"What does me being single have to do with this?" she snapped. Though they were trying to keep their voices down, the town was quiet, and Solas could still hear them clearly, even with the occasional traffic passing them by. "We're not _dating_. Solas is a friend. I've known him for _years_ , and we've met up at conventions before. He's going through a tough time-"

"Conveniently. At the convention. And he just happened to need a place to stay? And you just happened to be there as his shoulder to cry on and-"

"Stop. We're not doing this. I appreciate your concern, but I am a grown-ass woman who can take care of herself," she interrupted.

Solas watch Alex's jaw clench in response. "Fine," he hissed, "but remember this when you're crying on my shoulder about how stupid you were for trusting him after he's hurt you. I _tried_."

"Get back to work. We'll talk later," she ordered, pointing at the storefront. Alex's scowl deepened, but he left, throwing open the door with such force Solas was surprised the hinges held. She took a couple of deep breaths, before returning to him, a smile on her face once more, even though he could see her visibly shaking with anger. "Sorry about that. Alex… can be overprotective. We probably should have come up with a better cover story."

"Yes," Solas agreed, still frowning, "perhaps we should have. I apologize if I've made things more difficult for you. I can… go… if-"

"Where?" she asked pointedly and Solas stopped short. "You have no job, no proof of identity, no credit, no money, no work history. You don't know your way around; you don't know our laws or customs. I'm sorry, Solas, but you're stuck with me for now… really for good, unless we get you back to Thedas. So… shut up and help me carry these bags upstairs; I'll show you your new home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few side references you might find interesting.  
> 1) The version of The Dawn Will Come that Aislinn had on her playlist is [This One](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuKwoe2eano) by Drunagard. It's a metal cover. With bagpipes. You're welcome. Or I'm sorry. I'm not sure which.  
> 2) If you're curious what Ambrose Trevelyan looks like, I settled on a faceclaim for him for inspiration: [Godfrey](https://i.imgur.com/q60ctG8.jpg) [Gao](https://i.imgur.com/FXIYwmi.jpg). You're welcome. (So is Solas.)


	5. I Can Tell You Anything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aislinn helps Solas get settled.
> 
> * * *
> 
> _It was very rare, but sometimes, Goodwill received unopened packs of socks and underwear donated. She managed to locate a pack of socks and frowned a bit. "We'll have to go somewhere else to get you uh… smallclothes," she said._
> 
> _"Why?" he asked. "I don't usually…"_
> 
> _Aislinn blushed, the color darkening her warm ochre skin. "A little too much information, Solas," she mumbled._
> 
> _"Look… I have heard from men that, uh," she cleared her throat, "getting caught in a zipper is the worst pain they've ever felt. So, while it may not be necessary in Thedas…"_
> 
> _"Say no more," Solas answered, a look of horror on his face, telling Aislinn he'd thus far managed to avoid that particular mishap even though he'd only been dealing with zippers for a day._
> 
> _"Yeah… that's what I thought."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been a long-time coming. Thank you so much for your patience while waiting for this next chapter. ❤
> 
> * * *
> 
> **follow me for updates:** [ao3 (click subscribe)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmalea/profile) ☆ [tumblr](http://enigmalea.tumblr.com) ☆ [twitter](https://twitter.com/enigmaleaDA)  
>  **prompt me:** [how to](https://enigmalea.tumblr.com/post/185117840754) ☆ [submit](https://enigmalea.tumblr.com/ask) ☆ [read on tumblr](https://enigmalea.tumblr.com/tagged/my-drabbles) ☆ [read on ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19825843)
> 
>  **join me @:** [The Hanged Man Discord](https://discord.gg/U4Y5uCR) for DA fanfic readers, writers, and betas! (Please note the server is NSFW and 18+ only.)

The euphoric "mrow" which greeted Aislinn as she unlocked her apartment door caused her to forget temporarily how upset she was with Alex. "Pouncers!" she called as she headed into the apartment. The padded footfalls which sounded heavier than they should for a cat his size echoed throughout the otherwise silent apartment. The door clicked behind her as her orange tabby rounded the corner and froze, taking in the sight of her and Solas.

The cat's yellow eyes moved pointedly from Aislinn to Solas; Aislinn knelt down and Ser Pounce-a-lot came to her immediately to claim the pets she was offering. "I'd like to introduce you to the only man who's opinion matters in my life. Solas, this is Ser Pounce-a-lot. Pouncers, this is Solas."

Ser Pounce-a-lot turned his attention to the stranger and let out a meow.

"Uh… pleased to meet you," Solas half-replied, half-questioned as he settled the bags on the floor. The cat meowed loudly again and made his way to the former elf, weaving his way through the man's legs. With a sigh, Solas knelt to scratch at the scruff of his neck. His eyes narrowed. "Aislinn, where did you get this cat?"

"Pouncers? He's a rescue. He showed up on my doorstep one day," she answered. "Why?"

Solas glanced up at Aislinn and shrugged. "No reason. You have a habit of collecting strays," he commented.

"You could say that." She couldn't help the smirk that appeared on her face. "This… is your new home… for now," she said, motioning to the entryway to the apartment. "To your right is the lovely and ever-important coat closet," she offered before leading him further into the apartment. Ser Pounce-a-lot bounded in front of them and jumped onto a windowsill out of the way, watching the downtown activity imperiously from his perch.

As they rounded the corner, the fact the apartment was a semi-open floor plan became obvious. The pinewood floors and exposed beams, along with the exposed brick interiors gave the building a turn of last century industrial feel, but the floor plan was certainly modern. The living room, kitchen, and dining room were all visible from where they stood, only a low wall (much lower than the vaulted ceilings) providing finishing for her cabinets and stained concrete countertops.

"So… living room, dining room, and kitchen," she said frowning a bit. "I will… have to show you how to use the stove… and microwave… and dishwasher. Ummm… this will be your bathroom," she told him, leading him through a door to their right. "The washer and dryer are here in this closet… which is something else I'll have to introduce you to." It was starting to sink in precisely how little Solas knew about the modern world and how to survive in it. She swallowed hard and briefly wondered with he might have done without her. What were the other Evanuris doing? How would they survive in a world without magic and manage not to get arrested? Maybe they wouldn't have to worry about them after all.

She passed through the door which connected to the bathroom and into the guest bedroom. "This will be your room," she said. The room was sparsely furnished with just a bed, night table, and dresser. It didn't even have a TV, and Aislinn suddenly regretted not making it nicer. To be fair, though, she rarely had guests. Solas followed along behind her quietly as she led him back out into the door which opened next to the kitchen. She pointed at the door at the end of the galley-style kitchen, "that's my room, the master suite, I guess, and through there," she added motioning to the door at the end of the dining room which passed through a large built-in bookcase, "is my office."

He spun around, eyes wide as he took in the space, his eyes darting around at the unfamiliar technology which was just _normal_ to Aislinn. "This is lovely," he commented, and she could tell from the tone of his voice he meant it, even if he was a bit overwhelmed.

"Strange, though, right?" she asked. "Familiar but unfamiliar at the same time."

"Yes," he commented. "I'm assuming you have heat, but there is no fireplace, and even now, as warm as it is outside it is comfortable here, without the windows open. How is that possible?"

Aislinn laughed. "There's a TV on the wall, a refrigerator in front of you, a stove and a microwave, and I can voice-control my lights – which admittedly I haven't shown you – and you're concerned about climate control?"

Solas shoved one hand in his pocket and rubbed the back of his head almost bashfully. "There's so much to learn… I… I don't know where to begin," he admitted. For just a moment, Aislinn forgot herself; forgot that the man in front of her wasn't from Earth and wouldn't be staying. She forgot that there wouldn't, couldn't be anything between them because one of them – or both of them – would only end up getting hurt. For just a moment, she allowed herself to think about how adorable he looked, taking in the wonders of his new home. She caught the thought and shoved it away, wishing she could incinerate it into nonexistence.

"Where we begin is shopping," she said softly. Her voice sounded steadier than she felt. "You need more clothes… and a phone, at the very least; and we'll need groceries. Make yourself at home. Grab a book or two and settle in. I'm going to check in on Alex and the store, and then we'll head out."

 

* * *

 

 

Solas wasn't sure how long Aislinn had been gone, but he'd worked his way through several short stories in the Holmes collection after perusing the many bookshelves throughout her apartment. Far from containing only books, he was surprised to find collectibles and memorabilia from Thedas on display; an undersized replica of his orb sat proudly next to a small statue of Fen'Harel, and a replica of his own wolf jaw necklace. On another shelf was a small shield bearing the Grey Warden's symbol next to a statue of a griffin. Novels and reference texts and books of art from Dragon Age and what appeared to be other media filled her shelves, interspersed with novels of various genres. He didn't know if he'd have the time to learn about all of these things she was passionate about, and the awareness he might never fully know her made him morose.

The _Sherlock Holmes Collection_ had only gone so far in alleviating his sudden poor mood, and even Ser Pounce-a-lot curled up next to him purring softly didn't seem to help. With a heavy sigh, he let his hand rest on the cat's head, and he scratched lightly. Ser Pounce-a-lot meowed softly and turned to look at Solas, yawning deeply. "You're not a normal cat, are you?" he asked, unable to shake the idea he could sense something _more_. Golden eyes blinked lazily before Ser Pounce-a-lot responded with a meow. He narrowed his eyes at the cat who smugly licked a paw and ran it over the back of an ear. "Are you from Thedas?" The cat seemed to freeze at Solas' question. His ears twitched and he looked away from Solas with a short mew.

Solas let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, and Ser Pounce-a-lot uncurled from the ball he was in to stretch, jumping off the sofa and disappearing into the kitchen as if he were trying to tell Solas he didn't appreciate his line of questioning. "That's it, Solas, you've lost it," he mumbled.

He stood and tossed the book onto his seat and resolutely left the apartment, headed down the stairs. Surely, Aislinn wouldn't mind if he popped in to take a look. He was surprised to find the door in the stairwell which connected the store to the rest of the building still partly open.

"Ash," Alex's voice carried, "I told you, everything is fine here. Orders were placed, stock was rotated, customers were called for special orders…"

"And you did the deposit daily?" Aislinn asked, "And logged the credit card receipts? And turned in your timesheet to the accountant?"

A heavy sigh reached his ears, as he quietly took a seat on the stairs. He inwardly berated himself for eavesdropping, but he wasn't really, was he? He didn't want to interrupt. "Yes. Aislinn, the store is fine, and I like getting paid, but we need to talk about the elephant in the room."

"There's no elephant," she snapped.

"Ash, seriously… what is up with that guy?" The floorboards creaked as one of them moved, and Solas sincerely wished he knew the layout of the store or even knew Alex better so that he could imagine what the man was doing. Worse, he wished he could enter the Fade and watch undetected. There was something wrong about that.

"Alex… leave it." Solas could hear the tension in her voice, the anger barely hidden under the surface, and he wondered why Aleksander insisted on pursuing the discussion. Her sigh was heavy, and the silence stretched in which Solas could only hear the shuffling of paperwork. "Look… he is a friend who needed some help. His girlfriend kicked him out right before the convention, and he had nowhere to go. You know finding a place in DC is a nightmare, so I told him he could stay with me."

"And what about his job?"

"He works from home… uh… in publishing actually. He's a copy editor," she supplied, and Solas sincerely hoped she planned on explaining what she was inventing to him later, because if pressed, he'd have no idea what story she had devised.

"So, you are in no way going to have to support this guy, and he will eventually find a place in Eastbourne on his own… and you won't have to help him with that? You don't need to go out and replace his stuff… or co-sign for his apartment… or his car. He won't need to be on your cellphone plan or need you to feed him… or support his WoW habit, right? And most of all, you're not going to fall for him, and he's not going to fall for you, and there's not going to be any drama with his ex?" Something heavy hit a countertop with a _thud_ , and Solas jumped in surprise.

Aislinn sighed softly. "I appreciate your concern, but I assure you… he's not a con artist. This isn't a scam. He isn't using me. Solas genuinely needs help."

"Yeah that? That doesn't make things better. You are the worst judge of character ever," Alex replied.

"I'm friends with you," she pointed out.

"My point exactly!" They both laughed.

Solas jumped as the door from the street to the stairwell was opened abruptly, and he rushed to stand up. "Oh!" the man exclaimed. "What are you… who… are you?"

"Friend of Aislinn," he choked out, eyes wide at the man who must be the tenant Aislinn had mentioned. "I'm staying with her." As if summoned, Aislinn appeared at the door which opened into the stairwell from the store.

"Solas… did you get bored?" she asked.

"Uh… yes, I was just on my way down when I ran into… this gentleman," his face was flushed from his neck to the tops of his rounded ears.

"Sorry, I just wasn't expecting someone in the stairwell," the man explained. "Excuse me." He made his way past Solas without another word, and Solas was thankful he kept to his own business enough he hadn't bothered to mention Solas had been eavesdropping.

"Let me just get my stuff and we'll head out, okay?" Aislinn asked, giving him a smile.  
  


* * *

 

The horrible screeching sound which filled the air felt as if it were piercing his eardrums. Aislinn shot him an irritated look over her shoulder as he dropped the phone in his hand, the cable attached to it snatching it back to its display with a _snap_. The harassed salesperson quickly crossed the floor to turn off the alarm. "My apologies," Solas mumbled.

"It's fine," the woman replied, though her tone conveyed exactly how _not fine_ it was.

His flushed face only began to lose its color once the screeching stopped, and the salesperson crossed back to the couple she'd been helping for the last half hour. He stepped closer to Aislinn, crossing his arms over his chest. "I told you to stop playing with things," she hissed, sounding, in the moment, like a mother chastising an errant child.

"In my defense, I wasn't aware it would screech like despair demon," he whispered. "I was just _looking_ at it. Why would they have it out if I'm not supposed to _look_?"

"I don't know, Solas. Didn't your mother ever tell you to look and not touch?" she teased.

"I don't remember. It was thousands of years ago, but I'm going to assume not because the Elvhen knew better than to leave things lying about if they didn't want someone to touch them," he argued.

"There are _so_ many inappropriate comments I could make right now," she answered, and Solas found himself flushing again and unable to think of anything else to say.

He sighed softly and tried to occupy himself by standing quietly but found himself bored. In Thedas, he would have simply entered the Fade and gone exploring, but here, on Earth, he was stuck being present and there was nothing to engage him. Watching the humans wasn't enough, for all of their enhanced technology and transportation and odd fashion, they were, essentially, the same as people in Thedas.

"Let me see your phone," he requested.

"Solas, it'll only be a few more minutes," she whispered.

"Then talk to me," he asked softly. She raised an eyebrow at him. "It's too quiet, and I'm bored."

"I never expected you to be so antsy," she complained.

He frowned and shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to breathe deep and calm down. He felt the moment he would slip in to Fade and then… nothing… a horrible, still emptiness which was rewarded with nothing. The urge to scream in horror manifested with such clarity Solas wasn't sure he could resist it, and he forced himself out of his meditative state. He wanted to reach for Aislinn but forced himself to move away from her and toward another display.

She turned to look at him again. "Looking not touching," he informed her before she could say anything. Thankfully, the insufferable couple which had tied up the salesperson was finally finished, and the woman glanced over at them, "I'll be happy to help you, now."

Her tone, however, did not fool Solas, and it sounded as if she was not happy to help them at all. He perched on the edge of the stool across from the woman as Aislinn spoke to her about what they wanted, and Solas tried (but failed) to follow their conversation. There were talks of email (whatever that was) and device protection and cases and plans, and honestly, he stopped listening, letting his focus go blurry and zoning out.

"… and this signature acknowledges that you're signing up for a plan with a monthly fee…"

Solas snapped to, suddenly conscious of the fact whatever Aislinn was doing would result in her paying for him regularly. "Pardon?" he asked. Aislinn shot him a look as if to tell him to stop talking, as the salesperson looked from him to her.

"If you need a moment to discuss things with your husband…"

"He's not my-"

"Yes please," he said quickly even as Aislinn began to protest. He slid off the stool, "excuse us just a moment." He only took a few steps away before he turned to face her, crossing his arms over his chest. "You never said you'd have to pay for this regularly," he said softly.

"You let her think we're married," Aislinn protested.

"Does that impact the fee or discussion in any way?"

"No."

"And will we ever see her again?"

"Doubtful."

"Okay, then, what does it matter what she thinks?" he asked. "I'm more concerned about you paying for something - regularly - I don't have to have."

Aislinn sighed heavily and ran a hand over her hair. "You do need a phone," she argued. "It's the only way we have to communicate quickly, and I don't like the idea of you being on Earth on your own. At least this way, you can call me if you need help or I can call you."

"But-"

"You need a phone, Solas, and I can afford it, so I'm buying it. You have no control or say in this," she said her tone brooking no argument. He didn't like asking her to do this or taking it even though he hadn't asked. He didn't like the thought he would owe her so much more than he already did, or that she could back him into a corner like this.

He frowned deeply and latched on to the one idea he had which could possibly talk her out of it. "And what will you do when I return to Thedas?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, the look on her face mirroring the same dark and dangerous one he'd seen her use with Alex. "The same thing I do when any other man leaves, Solas… pick up the pieces and _move on_."

He wasn't sure why the words felt like a slap in the face or why it hurt that was her instinctive reaction. He couldn't help but feel he'd done something much more painful than point out she'd be stuck with debt long after he was gone. He couldn't form together an apology or gather his own emotions quickly enough to stop her from turning and making her way back to the salesperson and signing with a flourish. She returned to where he still stood stunned just a few minutes later, handing him a device with a smile on her face. "Welcome to owning your first cellphone."

 

* * *

 

Solas had been far too quiet since she'd handed him his cellphone. As they left her provider's store in the mall, he'd clutched the device protectively, cradling it as if it were more precious than it actually was. The silence had stretched as she navigated her way out of the mall, silently cursing all of the idiots who pulled in front of her and cut her off. She was thankful Solas didn't know much about the driving laws or she was positive he'd have lost it.

"I'm sorry," she ventured in the silence. "I… I didn't mean that like it sounded. I know you have to go back… you need to go back. You belong in Thedas, and what I said wasn't intended to make you feel guilty for that… if that's what it did. I need you to understand, though, that the things I'm doing for you, I want to do. You aren't taking advantage of me and even if you manage to get back to Thedas in a few days rather than a few weeks or months, the cost of the cellphone won't break me."

She watched his fingers stop moving on the cellphone's screen, and he set it face down on his lap as he turned to her. "I'm more concerned about why you had cause to say it," he replied. "Is it why Alex is leery of me?"

Aislinn's jaw clenched almost reflexively. "I'd rather… not talk about it," she sighed, "but the short answer is… yes, Alex's fears are not wholly unfounded. But this is different. You won't take advantage of me, and although you'll leave… well… we won't fall for one another, so it won't matter, right?"

"Right," Solas agreed hesitantly.

"Just because I romance you in the game sometimes doesn't mean I'll fall for you in real life," Aislinn mumbled.

"Perish the thought," he replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. Silence again, and a few seconds later, Solas was back to paying attention to his phone. Aislinn sighed, but didn't break the silence; she had felt so close to Solas just a few hours before, but now? Now it was like there was an impossible to bridge gap between them.

The city of Eastbourne was large enough to be called a city but small enough it didn't feel overpopulated. In the worst traffic, one could make it from one side of the city to another in about 25 minutes. Thankfully, where they were headed wasn't all the way across the city, and less than 10 minutes later, Aislinn was pulling into the parking lot.

Solas looked up, surprised they had arrived so soon. "What's a Goodwill?" he asked.

"It's a charity shop," she explained. "They help people build skills to find jobs, by reselling second-hand clothing and items. There's controversy about how they operate, but I dunno."

"Second-hand?" he asked, closing the car door behind him.

Aislinn squinted at the sun in her eyes as she looked up at him. "Don't tell me you're squeamish about used items. The Inquisition loots armor and weapons from dead bodies."

"Point taken," he replied. He shoved his phone into his pocket and headed for the store. "It was more surprise there is a store where you can buy used clothing."

As they stepped into the large store, Aislinn couldn't help but watch Solas' eyes widen. At this time of day on a Monday, the store was practically empty, but the rows and rows of clothing by themselves were likely overwhelming. She led him toward the men's section watching as he ran his hands through the racks of clothing. "Where… do I even start?" he asked.

"We'll need to figure out your size," she replied.

"My size?"

"Yes… we have standardized sizing, which… is not really standardized for women's clothing, which remains a pain in our asses, but in men is based on measurements," she knew what she'd ordered for him on Amazon, which was based on a former boyfriend's size. The waist had been a little loose, but with a belt, it wasn't terrible. The shirt, however, fit perfect.

"Why don't you start with shirts?" she asked him. "You're a medium - usually marked with an M on the tag, which is usually in the collar. Just pick whatever you like, and I will… go get a shopping cart and choose a few jeans for you to try on."

Aislinn retrieved a cart from the front of the store and began picking through the racks of jeans, pausing in her search to make sure Solas was doing okay. She was surprised to find he had selected a few t-shirts and turtlenecks rather than button-downs, sweaters, flannels, and even cardigans. He seemed to be touching everything, choosing things which were soft and warm rather than any particular style; it made sense, practicality seemed to be key.

He wheeled the cart back over. "This should be plenty," he said.

"You'll need a few more short-sleeved shirts. It's summer."

"I tend to run cold," he argued. "Or… I… used to." He frowned a bit but moved back to the t-shirts and picked out a few.

There was a mix of graphic tees, band tees, and plain tees in the cart and Aislinn couldn't help but wonder why she would have never pegged Solas as a hipster, but now that his clothing style was clear, she couldn't help but see it. He even had the "I was Elvhen before it was cool" attitude. She handed the stack of jeans (and one pair of cargo pants she'd managed to find) to Solas and pointed toward the fitting room. "Go… try these on," she said pointing.

He glanced down at the stack in his arms and sighed heavily but followed the orders. Emerging with a few minutes later with two pair of jeans (one black, one dark) and the cargo pants in hand. "These don't fit," he declared, holding out the other two. "One pair was insultingly large, and one I couldn't even get on."

She took the jeans from him and hung them back on the rack, looking at the impressively full cart. She had expected this to be more difficult than it was, but then… they still had socks, underwear, and pajamas left to go. She steered him toward the pajama bottoms first, though, and he seemed to care less about those than anything, and simply grabbed two pair with barely a cursory glance.

It was very rare, but sometimes, Goodwill received unopened packs of socks and underwear donated. She managed to locate a pack of socks and frowned a bit. "We'll have to go somewhere else to get you uh… smallclothes," she said.

"Why?" he asked. "I don't usually…"

Aislinn blushed, the color darkening her warm ochre skin. "A little too much information, Solas," she mumbled. "Look… I have heard from men that, uh," she cleared her throat, "getting caught in a zipper is the worst pain they've ever felt. So, while it may not be necessary in Thedas…"

"Say no more," Solas answered, a look of horror on his face, telling Aislinn he'd thus far managed to avoid that particular mishap even though he'd only been dealing with zippers for a day.

"Yeah… that's what I thought."

 

* * *

 

Solas' patience for shopping was starting to wear thin. He had hoped they would be able to go to _one_ place to get everything they needed, but instead, they were at their third store, and it didn't seem it was going to end. They had ended up back at what Aislinn told him was the mall with Aislinn asking him to pick out smallclothes.

"There are different… types?" he asked with a heavy sigh.

"Lots. So, if we buy something you don't like… you can try something else," Aislinn suggested. The shelves they were standing at had a display where he could look at what was in the bizarrely wrapped packages. "These are called briefs," she told him.

Solas looked at the tiny, constricting garment and tentatively tugged at the fabric. He cleared his throat, blushing a bit. "I… uh… need more room."

"This is what several of my past boyfriends wore," she said with a shrug.

He snorted. "I'm sorry to hear that." He hadn't meant to say that aloud, but he couldn't take it back, now.

Aislinn gasped and smacked his arm playfully, following it with a charming giggle. "So was I," she smiled at him. "I'll be honest, I have no idea what I'm doing here. Men's underwear is… foreign to me."

He shifted on his feet awkwardly. He genuinely couldn't force himself to care about this. "How about these?" he asked holding up the garment behind the "briefs".

"Boxer briefs it is," Aislinn said grabbing a package. "We'll get a pack of these, too."

"What are those?" he asked, following her to the checkout.

"Boxers."

"Boxers, briefs, and boxer briefs? Shemlen creativity knows no bounds," he murmured with a roll of his eyes.

 

* * *

 

 _Hours_ after they'd left the apartment, Solas finally collapsed into his new bed in Aislinn's apartment. After shopping and shopping and more shopping, they'd had to come back and put everything away, including bags full of groceries. He'd helped her prepare dinner and attempted to pay attention as she showed him the basics of using the microwave and stove. He could see the convenience of such things, but some small part of him wished he could have simply collected some firewood, lit a fire, and cooked like a _normal_ person.

He laid in the darkness of his room staring at the ceiling, trying to will himself to sleep, but as much as he tried it didn't seem to work. Knowing he would not enter the Fade made him anxious, making it difficult to drift off to sleep. He gave up, reaching for his phone and tapping out a message to Aislinn.

Aislinn  
  
**Today** 1:09 AM  
**Solas:** I can't sleep. Are you still awake?"  
**Delivered**

He heard her phone vibrate in the room next to his, but she didn't stir. The soft glow of the device soothed his anxiety. Without another thought, Solas willingly went exploring his new world through the Internet, the next best thing to the Fade.


	6. But I'm Not In The World You're In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solas makes some discoveries about what it means to be human.
> 
> * * *
> 
> _"Blackwall?! Really, Solas?" she called as she entered the apartment. She watched him tense on the sofa, and he quickly saved the game and looked up at her. At some point, he'd showered and donned a pair of the jeans she'd bought him, a t-shirt, and a flannel._
> 
> _"The dialog option was there. I was curious," he admitted, though he looked properly chagrined. A faint blush, just barely darker than his nearly invisible freckles had appeared on his face. "I first discovered the romance dialog option with Cullen and watching him stammer was… entertaining, and very much like the Cullen I remember. I wanted to see Blackwall's reaction."_
> 
> _He shifted uncomfortably, and Aislinn could no longer contain her grin. "Have you flirted with everyone?"_
> 
> _"Maybe?" he choked out._
> 
> _"Even Cassandra?" She quirked an eyebrow at him, and Solas glanced away from her._
> 
> _He was hesitant to reply, but eventually, the answer came. "Yes."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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> 
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Solas awoke to the smell of bacon and the sound of Aislinn humming softly to herself as she cooked. Although the experience wasn't quite as unpleasant as his first morning on waking up on Earth, it was still jarring to awaken and realize his dreams were fading quickly, and he'd had no control over them. It was worse to realize he hadn't actually been in the Fade at all.

Ser Pounce-a-lot had somehow made his way into Solas' room and curled up against him as he was sleeping; Solas had also managed to get tangled in the charging cable for his phone. Both of these facts contributed to his reluctance to move from his bed, but finally the need became urgent and he _had_ to move. He carefully untangled himself, an act which earned him an admonishing meow from the ginger tabby who was sound asleep and padded his way to the restroom.

His eyes were still blurry, and his face was also _itching_ as he wandered into the kitchen. He scratched absently at his jawline. "Morning," he said, barely holding back a yawn.

"Good morning," Aislinn said brightly as she moved some finished bacon to a waiting plate. She took one look at him and frowned. "Did you sleep well? You look… rough."

Solas shrugged in response. "I didn't sleep much," he admitted, leaning against the cabinet next to the stove.

Aislinn frowned at him and immediately pulled a cup from a cabinet, pouring him coffee. "Try this." She set the cup in front of him as Solas eyed it skeptically. "How do you like your eggs?"

 _"_ I don't."

"You… you don't like eggs?" Aislinn asked, quirking an eyebrow at him and smirking for some reason he didn't quite understand.

"Despise them, actually."

It seemed to take Aislinn a moment to compose herself before she pressed on. "I'll change that. I'll find some way to cook eggs that you'll like. Until then, what would you like with your bacon? Toast? "

"Toast is fine," Solas answered. His face was still _itching_ , and he let out a groan of frustration as he scratched lightly at his cheek again.

"What's wrong?" she asked, unwrapping the bread and placing it into the toaster.

He watched her crack two eggs into the pan on the stove before he answered. "My face is itching. It will not stop."

"Do you have allergies?" she asked, concern clear on her face. Solas found her concern for him endearing, and briefly mused at how lucky he'd been that she had been the one to trip over him rather than someone else. Who knew where he'd be if he'd found himself in the path of someone less kind?

"I never have before."

"You've also never been on Earth before," she challenged.

"True," he conceded. Aislinn frowned at him and reached out with a hand to stroke his cheek gently. He ignored the way he forgot to breathe for just a moment and his stomach flopped, even as she gasped and bit back a chuckle. "What?"

Aislinn turned her attention back to the frying pan and flipped the eggs expertly. "You're _human_ , now."

"Yes?" he asked, reaching for the coffee cup to keep himself from scratching at his face again.

"Solas, you're… you're growing a beard."

"WHAT?!" he exclaimed. He couldn't help it, panic set in, as he brought his hand back to his face. Now that he was _touching_ rather than _scratching,_ he could feel the tiny, soft fuzz beginning to grow. "I don't have magic; what am I going to _do_?"

"Shave it?" Aislinn asked with a laugh. "What were you planning to do with your hair without magic?"

"I was going to let it grow out," he declared in frustration, "but there is no way I will keep a _beard_."

"You'll have to look up some videos or something online. I can buy you whatever you need, but I can _not_ teach you to shave, and I doubt you really want to ask Alex for shaving advice," Aislinn said, brown eyes sparkling mischievously from behind her glasses. She plated her own eggs as the toast popped from the toaster. The unexpected sound caused Solas to jump and his scowl only deepened.

"I'd rather not ask Alex anything," he admitted.

Aislinn hummed to herself. She was a blur of activity, dropping toast on their plates and carrying both plates and her coffee to the table before Solas even had the presence of mind to offer to help. She passed back by him to get butter and preserves from the fridge and gave him an amused look. She cleared her throat. "And… what will you do about the other body hair?"

Solas blinked at her blankly as the words sunk in, following behind her to the table where his breakfast awaited him. "I'm sorry, what?"

"The other body hair," she repeated. "You know, most human men have chest hair-"

"I think I can live with-"

"AND some have back hair," she interrupted.

"You cannot be serious," he challenged.

She gave him a smirk as she sipped from her coffee cup. "As serious as a heart attack… which by the way, is pretty damn serious. Don't know if you've discovered heart attacks in Thedas. They can be fatal," she quipped. "Still, the back hair shouldn't worry you as much as…" she trailed off.

"As what?" he asked apprehensively.

"Well… some human men have… hairy… bums."

"Now I _know_ you are messing with me," Solas declared, narrowing his eyes at the woman before him suspiciously. She was far too amused by his distress. “Remember that I dealt with Sera for nearly a year. I have learned how to spot a prank.”

"Hmmm… I'll be sure to let my last boyfriend know you think his butt hair was something to be horrified by," she teased. "You could end up with hairy toes or shoulders, even. Listen, Solas, we have some books downstairs about human puberty you may or may not find comforting. I could sneak you one if-"

"I am seriously starting to question your choice in men, Aislinn," Solas commented. He reached for the butter and preserves slathering his toast in both; the fresh scent of the blackberry was almost decadent, and Solas was surprised to find that he was _hungry_. Likely another side effect of being human he hadn't considered. "Thus far, we've determined they have hairy arses, questionable taste in underwear which lead me to believe their endowments were… less than desirable… and - if Alex is to be believed - didn't treat you well."

"Your assessments are not entirely incorrect," she admitted with a shrug. She reached for the preserves. "There is a reason I am single and intend to stay that way."

His brain skid to a halt, and he tried to think of something clever or charming to say, but he could only hear the last part of her statement in repetition. There was something about it which made him sad; perhaps because someone so wonderful was choosing to be alone. In the silence, he reached for a strip of bacon and hid his discomfort by beginning to eat.

"You never tried your coffee," Aislinn reminded him after the silence had stretched to the point it was nearly uncomfortable. She took a bite of her eggs and watched him closely.

He eyed the cup with trepidation, but he reached for it and took a sip. The bitter liquid filled his mouth, and he couldn't help but gag even as he forced it down. His face twisted into something akin to horror. "Ugh... how... how do you stand it?"

Aislinn's laugh was light. "How can you be so predictable?" she asked, motioning for him to hand her his cup. He couldn't help but feel betrayed; if she had known he would hate coffee, why would she force him to try it? She took the cup in one hand, grabbing a strip of bacon with the other and popping into her mouth with sparkling eyes. She moved through the kitchen like a breeze, opening a packet of something and pouring it in with a flourish. She stirred thoroughly and added some milk before presenting the cup back to him. "Try again," she prompted.

The fragrance of the drink hit him as he took the cup from her hand. It was slightly sweet and held a strong scent of chocolate. He hummed softly and took a sip, unable to stop the smile from spreading. "How did you know?"

"What? That you have a ridiculous sweet tooth?" she asked grinning down at him. "Your favorite thing about Val Royeaux... the frilly cakes."  
  


* * *

 

After breakfast, Aislinn had taken the time to set up her laptop so Solas could stream to the TV or attempt to play a game if he wanted. She showed him how to text or call if he needed her and, with a feeling of nervousness she couldn't quite place, she headed down to open the bookstore precisely on time. She'd given Alex the day off - a much-needed reward for all he’d done when she was at the convention - and thus, she was set to have a quiet Tuesday by herself in the store.

Solas' first text arrived just an hour after she'd left him alone in the apartment and for the five minutes she was too busy helping a customer to look at it, her heart thudded nervously in her chest. Had he managed to catch something on fire? Hurt himself? Should she be evacuating? Had Ser Pounce-a-lot managed to irritate him? Had he spontaneously regained his magic?

She could only smile in relief as she stared down at the text.

Solas  
  
**Today** 10:17 AM  
**Solas:** I finished the book you lent me. I enjoyed it.  
  
**Aislinn:** what can I say? I know books. it's sort of what I do.  
  
**Solas:** Any suggestions for what I should read next?  
  
**Aislinn:** I can genuinely recommend anything on my shelves except the Dragon Age books! It's bad enough you want to play the games! Stay away from the other stuff!  
  
**Solas:** I make no such promises.  
  


The barely contained laugh that escaped her left as a snort, and she was glad Solas wasn't around to hear it.

The morning moved slowly, and she occupied her time between Solas' texts with going through the mail and straightening a few of the shelves Alex had missed. Her phone vibrating with a message was almost a relief to the monotony.

Solas  
  
**Today** 11:53 AM  
**Solas:** I'm starting this… game. I want to see my romance. I'm curious. It's asking me for a race and gender.  
  
**Aislinn:** You probably shouldn't do this, but if you're romancing yourself... female and elf.  
  


She'd made them both sandwiches for lunch and she munched on hers idly between customers. Tuesday mornings were always slow, but afternoons - any day of the week - were always a little bit busier. Occasionally, she got a lunch hour rush from businesspeople stopping by on the breaks while running errands. Today was no different, and though she heard her phone vibrating with every text he sent she didn't get a chance to look at them for nearly half an hour.

Solas  
  
**Today** 12:07 PM  
**Solas:** I gave up at the part where you make a face. It's too difficult.  
  
**Solas:** I googled the game's title. There's a lot of information. I don't even know where to start.  
  
**Solas:** I watched some videos.  
  
**Solas:** Aislinn, what's fanart?  
  
**Solas:** Some of these are very good. What is NSFW?  
  


She winced at this message. Too bad she couldn't have warned him. Hopefully, he hadn’t found anything too disconcerting.  
  


  
**Solas:** Never mind. I clicked. I shouldn't have clicked.  
  


_No, you probably shouldn't have,_ she thought. It had to be surreal, seeing art of himself _like that_. She sincerely hoped he didn't think too hard about the fact she may have seen art of him… or read fics about him. That was, sincerely, the last thing she needed.

  
**Solas:** I found fan… fiction? People other than Varric write about me?  
  
**Solas:** I've decided it's safer if I don't read those… but I am curious.  
  
**Solas:** I started the game again.  
  
**Aislinn:** I'm really starting to think I shouldn't have left you alone.  
  


Aislinn chuckled to herself as the bell above the door jingled to let her know someone had entered the store, and the air was filled with the noise of at least two small children who headed straight for the small play area she had set up. She glanced up to see one of her regulars meandering her way through the rows.

"Michelle," she called happily. She half suspected the woman had a crush on Alex, as she made a point to stop by a couple of times a week to check out the small selection of comics and graphic novels she carried. Michelle, as far as Aislinn knew, was married, but Alex _was_ easy on the eyes, and everyone needed some eye candy in their lives, didn't they?

"Ash! You're back! Is it Tuesday already?" the woman called from the back of the store.

"Yep," Aislinn confirmed. "You're early for new releases."

"Mmmm… not here for new releases," Michelle countered.

"Here for Alex?" Aislinn teased.

"You know it!" Michelle laughed. She emerged from the rows a smile plastered on her face. Michelle was tall and skinny. In another life, she probably could have been a model, really, as she had the perfect body for it; her face, however, was too "plain", with soft cheekbones and a slightly pointed nose. Aislinn assumed she was in her forties, though she took care of her skin and appeared younger. Her shoulder-length hair was dyed a lighter brown than it was naturally with chunky blond highlights. "Actually, I was hoping you could put in a special order for me?" she asked, giving Michelle her best puppy dog eyed look.

"You don't have to give me that look, Michelle. What are you looking for?"

"Do you think you could get me Lady Mechanika? I've been wanting to read it, and I got a sample last year on Free Comic Book Day, and I could order it online, but…"

"I can definitely get Lady Mechanika for you, but only for you," Aislinn teased. It only took her a minute to place the order and after a little time browsing the children's section with her boys, Michelle declared she'd be back in a couple of days and left the store.

Aislinn found she couldn't pick her phone up quickly enough, to answer the text that had been waiting on her.

Solas  
  
**Today** 2:36 PM  
**Solas:** Aislinn, I am playing this game. Am I correct in assuming that I can only cast six spells?  
  
**Aislinn:** yes  
  
**Solas:** That is asinine! How is that even logical?!? No mage is restricted on the battlefield to only six spells. We would perish! I refuse!  
  
**Aislinn:** then play another class  
  
**Solas:** But I AM a mage!  
  
**Aislinn:** you aren't yourself. Make another character.  
  
**Solas:** Fine! I'll be a Qunari warrior!  
  
**Aislinn:** I thought you wanted to see your romance. You can only romance female elves.  
  
**Solas:** I hate this game.  
  
**Solas:** Why can I only create a face?  
  
**Solas:** Do all female Elvhen have the same body?  
  
**Aislinn:** all player characters of the same race and gender have the same bodies  
  
**Solas:** How could anyone think that accurate?  
  
**Aislinn:** no one does. Shut up and make yourself a pretty face to imagine kissing  
  
**Solas:** Fine.  
  


* * *

 

Solas' texts came fewer and farther between as he became more engrossed in playing Inquisition. He sent her the occasional remark about how inaccurate the game was, including complaining about his dialog at every turn. Eventually, the texts practically stopped and Aislinn knew he'd been hooked. She closed up the shop at 5 pm, balanced the till, and made her way back to her apartment just 15 minutes later.

"Thanks for the tempting offer, My Lady. I'll have to consider it. Carefully," Blackwall's voice floated from her TV down the hall and Aislinn had to stop herself from laughing aloud.

"Blackwall?! Really, Solas?" she called as she entered the apartment. She watched him tense on the sofa, and he quickly saved the game and looked up at her. At some point, he'd showered and donned a pair of the jeans she'd bought him, a t-shirt, and a flannel.

"The dialog option was there. I was curious," he admitted, though he looked properly chagrined. A faint blush, just barely darker than his nearly invisible freckles had appeared on his face. "I first discovered the romance dialog option with Cullen and watching him stammer was… entertaining, and very much like the Cullen I remember. I wanted to see Blackwall's reaction."

He shifted uncomfortably, and Aislinn could no longer contain her grin. "Have you flirted with everyone?"

"Maybe?" he choked out.

"Even Cassandra?" She quirked an eyebrow at him, and Solas glanced away from her.

He was hesitant to reply, but eventually, the answer came. "Yes."

Silence fell for a moment, and Aislinn glanced back up at the screen, narrowing her eyes at the TV. Solas had given his elf dark skin and amber-colored eyes. For a moment, Aislinn felt like she was watching one of her own playthroughs with her self-insert, and she couldn't help but notice that Solas had used some of the modded hair she'd downloaded. "Huh. And... why does your character look like me?"

His blush darkened and he exited back to the main menu quickly as he turned to look at her. "It was unintentional, I assure you. I'm not very far, I could start over again if you'd like. I'm not attached to the character."

"No, it's fine," she assured him. There was a long, drawn-out meow, as Ser Pounce-a-lot came trotting in from another room. The tabby jumped onto the back of the sofa and demanded that Aislinn pet him, so she obliged.

"What's for dinner?" Solas asked, changing the subject. There seemed to be a look of relief on his face that she couldn't quite explain until she remembered her own text: _Shut up and make yourself a pretty face to imagine kissing._

"Tacos," Aislinn exclaimed, also grateful for the subject change. Did that mean Solas thought she was pretty? Was he interested? Should she… should she make it clear that wasn't going to happen? He would be returning to Thedas eventually, and she would remain on Earth, and the last thing she needed was some sort of interdimensional relationship. Living in Solavellan hell in fandom was one thing, living it in real life? When she wasn't even a Lavellan? Well, that was another thing entirely.

"What are tacos?" Solas asked.

"That is… quite possibly… the saddest question I have ever been asked," she replied as she detoured into the kitchen as Solas unfolded himself from the sofa gracefully. "Come on, you're helping with prep."

Aislinn grabbed her apron from its hook on the wall, tossing it on; she spun back around just in time to take in the sight of Solas absently scratching Ser Pounce-a-lot's head before joining her. He would be going back to Thedas, but maybe not anytime soon, and if he stayed for more than a couple of weeks, he was going to need an apron, too. She made a mental note to add that to the growing list of Solas' needs. "You _do_ know how to properly wield a kitchen knife, don't you?" she asked.

Solas scoffed as he joined her, and she began digging in the fridge for ingredients. "I think I can handle a kitchen knife."

"Good," she answered as she stacked the onions and peppers and garlic on the counter. She pulled out two cutting boards and set them up side-by-side, along with two knives. "Take your flannel off."

"But I'll get cold," he protested.

She sighed heavily. "Then roll up the sleeves," she demanded. Solas raised an eyebrow at her as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, using the hair tie she kept around her wrist for convenience. "Jesus, do I have to do everything around here?" she teased, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him closer. She rolled up one and then the other, trying to ignore the slight uptick in her pulse as her fingers brushed against his forearms. "They'll get in your way."

She gave him a once over as she completed her task and decided he was presentable enough to help her cook. "Do you wanna start on the peppers while I tackle the onion?" she asked. He nodded once, suddenly speechless, and Aislinn noticed the flush was back, adorably. _No_. Not adorably. It was just back.

She exhaled slowly and watched as he selected a jalapeño and picked up the knife. She narrowed her eyes at him as he began to chop the pepper, holding the knife as if it were a cleaver. "Wait! _That_ is not how you use a kitchen knife," she declared with a sigh.

"What?" Solas questioned in exasperation. "It's a knife, surely-"

"Yes, and there's a proper way to use it, just like any tool. Look, if I come to Thedas, you can lecture me about how to use staves. Until then, my kitchen, my rules, and you're going to hold a chef's knife properly and not chop your fingers all to hell while you don't have magic to heal them, okay?" Aislinn asked.

"Right," Solas agreed. "Of course. Would you like to show you your _proper technique_ then?" His tone was condescending, and for just a moment, Aislinn considered on calling him out on it, but instead, she raised one shoulder in a shrug and moved behind him.

Her hand tingled as she wrapped it around his, inching his hand up higher on the knife handle and forcing his forefinger to curl around the built-in guide. "There," she whispered, hoping he didn't catch how breathless her voice sounded. _Get a grip, Aislinn_. "Better control. The knife handle has a curve there for a reason. Hug the curves."

Solas seemed to inhale sharply as she moved away from him and she had to force herself to focus on the task at hand. "So, take the cap off of that, then slice it in half lengthwise, carefully scoop out the seeds, and then dice." She dug in a drawer and reached for Solas' free hand, sliding a metal piece onto his fingers. "Finger guard. Hopefully, it will save us a trip to the ER."

He cleared his throat. "Thank you," he said softly. He seemed properly chagrined, and if his voice was a bit husky, Aislinn told herself she didn't notice as she began peeling the paper-thin skin of the onion.

"I'm sorry I didn't answer your text about what NSFW is quickly enough," she said, hoping conversation would clear the air.

He let out a short laugh as he chopped the cap of the jalapeño off; his movements were slightly stilted as if he were concentrating too hard on doing it right. Aislinn wasn't sorry. A trip to the ER would mean paperwork and questions they couldn't answer. "It's fine. I really could have Googled it, I suppose, which I did after the fact. Sometimes, my curiosity gets the best of me."

"I hope you didn't see anything too terribly scarring," Aislinn teased.

"Oh, no. Some of it was flattering," Solas replied. The corners of his lips twitched as if he was attempting not to grin.

"Some?" she asked, as she began to chop the onion. She gave him a light shoulder bump. "Did you look at more than _one_ piece? Solas, you dog."

"Wolf, actually," he countered, raising an eyebrow at her. She couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her. "It is not all that different from hearing the tales of the Dalish; ultimately, it is just seeing yourself through someone else's eyes. Sometimes unnerving, sometimes revolting, and sometimes flattering. No matter what, it is always, always enlightening."

"Hmmm," Aislinn hummed, "just do yourself a favor and avoid anything that says 'anti-Solas' or 'Solas critical'."

"Why?" he asked seriously. He was making progress with the pepper, though he was the picture of concentration. In the time it was taking him to tackle that one pepper, Aislinn had finished with a quarter of an onion and had moved on to mincing garlic.

"Because you just don't need to see that. People say some really… not nice things… not knowing you are real, and I just… don't think you should expose yourself to that sort of thinking," she answered. The silence fell between them, interrupted only by the sounds of knives against chopping boards.

"Aislinn?" Her name was almost tentative, and he had barely managed to get it out before she asked her Echo to play them some music.

"Hmmm?"

"Thank you," he said softly, "for… everything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you like the new text format? I discovered some tutorials on how to do fancy styles and wanted to try it out. They should still be legible if you use a screenreader/download the fic/turn off user styles. Please let me know if you run into issues with that and I'll figure something out!


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